


Will You Be My (Fake) Lover?

by caterinawrites



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette, Because of course he does, F/M, Fluff, Ladybug episode spoilers, fake dating au, i am adrinette trash and proud, spoiler alert he catches feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-12
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2020-10-17 09:49:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 47,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20619041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caterinawrites/pseuds/caterinawrites
Summary: Everyone was elated after Adrien's photoshoot with Lila. Everyone, that is, except for Adrien himself, and when Nathalie and his father suggest a publicity stunt that puts him in Lila's clutches, he's desperate for any way out of it. One impulse decision later, and he finds himself in a relationship with his good friend Marinette to avoid several months of misery. Will the two be able to pull it off, or will Gabriel put an end to his escape plan before it can begin?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, if you haven't seen the Ladybug episode that just released then some things in this fic may be lost on you, so spoiler alert! But overall, you should be able to enjoy it for the most part? As it goes on the episode will matter a bit less probably idk I haven't written that far yet or even really planned. I'm just kind of winging it, so hopefully you enjoy! Also this chapter is unedited. We die like men.

“Good morning, Adrien! Great photoshoot, you and Lila look so cute together!”

Adrien winced as Rose cupped her cheeks with a breathy sigh.

“Uh, thanks, but it’s all just acting, ya know,” he said as he passed, shoving his hands in his pockets and ducking his head.

More of his schoolmates complimented him as he walked which only made him antsier, and he fidgeted as he swapped out books from his locker. He wished she’d hurry up and get here, but he knew she often came late. At Lila’s voice entering the locker room, he visibly flinched, glancing around frantically for an escape before climbing inside his locker and pulling the door shut as she approached with Kim and Max.

“Are you practicing to be a contortionist, or-” Plagg started, but Adrien shushed him.

“Oh, Adrien and I were born to work together, don’t you think? We just look so good together,” She was saying.

“You two would make a cute couple, ya know,” Kim said, and Adrien felt his stomach churn as she laughed in modest denial.

“Hurry up and get here, Marinette,” he moaned, leaning his head back.

When the coast was clear, he crept out again, slinking back to the courtyard and glancing around desperately. A familiar set of pigtails entered through the front doors, and he made his move. She smiled as he approached, stopping to greet him, though her face screwed into a concerned pout upon seeing his half-crazed expression.

“Good morning, Adri-”

“Yeah, hi, can I talk to you for a minute?” He asked, and her eyebrows raised.

“Me? Why? What’s going dow-”

“Come with me,” he said, taking her wrist and pulling her into the janitor’s closet. “Sorry, that was rude, just…I needed somewhere private because no on else can overhear this.”

“What’s the matter? Is something wrong?” Her eyebrows knitted together worriedly.

“Okay, so I want to apologize in advance because I’m a horrible friend, but I need you to do me a big favor because I kind of messed up big time,” he explained, pressing his palms together pleadingly.

“Whoa, whoa, what happened?” She placed her hands on his shoulders, and he averted his gaze.

“Well…”

\---

“Adrien, I have your schedule for the day,” Nathalie announced as she entered the dining room where Adrien sat alone.

“Thanks, Nathalie,” he said, accepting the tablet as he took a sip of tea.

“Also, your father was very pleased with your recent photoshoot with Miss Rossi. In fact, he thinks you two look good together and thought it would be good for publicity if you two were officially a couple,” Nathalie said, and Adrien shot forward, choking and spitting his drink.

“What?” He croaked, beating his chest.

“Stock has gone up and many investors like the idea of a romance between the faces of his brand,” Nathalie explained, and Adrien felt his stomach jump up to his throat.

“But I can’t!” He protested, and Nathalie quirked a brow.

“It’s just for publicity, Adrien. Very minor contact in public, and we’ll break it off in a few months when things level out,” Nathalie said calmly, but Adrien was anything but.

He couldn’t date Lila! Not only did he not love her, but she was just awful! He needed a way out of this.

“Nathalie, please! I can’t date her even if it is pretend,” he begged.

“Why are you so against it, Adrien? Lila is your friend, and it’s for your father’s brand,” Nathalie asked, and Adrien curled his shoulders.

Every cell in his body seemed to shrivel at the thought. The room was too hot, and his palms were sweating. Not to mention he felt two seconds away from vomiting. He needed an excuse and fast, but it wasn’t like he could tell Nathalie that Lila was a liar who nearly got the love of his life killed and one of his close friends kicked out of school for a day.

“I can’t do it because…because I’m in a relationship with someone else,” he blurted without thinking and instantly wishing that he could snatch the words back into his mouth.

“You’re seeing someone?” Nathalie’s eyebrows raised. “Who?”

“Ah…it’s a friend from school,” he said, feeling sweat pooling under his arms.

“You never mentioned this, Adrien,” Nathalie gave him a stern glare which only made him burn hotter.

“It happened recently. I was waiting for an opportunity to tell father myself, but he’s always so busy, and-” Nathalie held up a hand to stop him.

“I will speak to your father about this. Tell me, who are you seeing?” Nathalie demanded, and Adrien bit his lip.

“It’s…Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

\---

Adrien covered his face in shame, taking a few deep breaths as Marinette processed exactly what he’d just told her. He said he was in a relationship- with _her_?

“I’m so, so sorry, Marinette. I just panicked, and you were the only person who knows about Lila, so I hoped you would understand, but I know how you feel about lying, so I hope this doesn’t make you hate me.” He winced, and Marinette searched his mortified expression for a moment before taking his hands in hers with a smile.

“I don’t hate you,” she assured him, and he relaxed a little. “Your dad actually wants you to date _Lila_?”

“I know, as if he doesn’t make my life miserable enough,” Adrien whined. “I know it’s asking a lot, but will you help me? I just need you to pretend to be my girlfriend until this whole thing blows over.”

“Pretending? Uh, yes, of course. It’s not like I want to be your _actual_ girlfriend or anything,” Marinette said with a nervous titter.

“Thank you. You’re amazing!” He pulled her in for a tight hug, and she felt her cheeks flush. “I’m really glad you got to come back. I couldn’t have survived Lila without you.”

“So,” Marinette drawled when they pulled away. “I’m your girlfriend now?”

“Yeah, I guess publicly.” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck before awkwardly offering her a hand, and she eyed it a moment, heart pounding before taking it.

She hoped Adrien couldn’t tell how shaky and sweaty her hand was, but as they walked out into the courtyard hand-in-hand and all eyes shifted to them, she felt his hand clamming up too. Suddenly she realized the implications of this arrangement and that they absolutely were not going to get away with it. Alya would sniff them out in an instant, but even still it was nice to hold his hand for a little while. Even if they were really sweaty.

“Yo, Adrien, I didn’t know you and Marinette were a thing.” Marinette recognized one of his fencing buddies.

“Uh, yeah. We just started dating yesterday,” Adrien piped up quickly, his grip tightening slightly.

“Congrats. Marinette is like the best,” he said with a smile that they both returned.

“Thanks, Jean,” Marinette said with a giggle before they continued up the stairs to Mlle. Bustier’s classroom.

“We probably should have gotten our story straight before walking out here,” Marinette said under her breath as they walked.

“I know. I’m worried this whole thing may fall apart before it starts,” he sighed. “Just let me do the explaining.”

“Okay, but we might have a slight problem.” Marinette winced.

“What’s wrong?” Adrien quirked a brow as they entered the classroom, and their bffs’ eyes singled in on their twined hands.

“Are my eyes seeing what I think they’re seeing?” Alya asked, a smirk curling on her lips.

“We can explain-” Marinette started as her best friend hopped up from her seat.

“You two are finally dating? Scoop!”

Marinette facepalmed as their other classmates crowded around them, praising Marinette for finally confessing her feelings and congratulating them both on their relationship. She peeked out at Adrien with a wince, cheeks pink as he eyed her with a questioning purse to his lips that said, ‘We’ll talk about this later.’ And if that wasn’t enough, she could feel two green eyes glaring through her from the back of the room, and she had to wonder if agreeing to this was really worth it after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the name of this fic cause I wasn't happy with the other one. I've been absent for the past couple weeks because my old laptop died, and I had to order a new one which was a pain. I'm hoping to get all of my stuff off my old harddrive this weekend, but as for this fic I don't really need the old stuff. I've already got the next chapter of this fic written, but I'm saving it until I get another chapter of something else written. Probably KEWK. But hopefully I'll get it posted next week. Maybe on Tuesday.

Chapter 2

“So, what’s the scoop? How did you two get together?” Alya asked, holding up her phone.

“Yes, how did you confess your feelings, Marinette?” Lila piped up, pacing down to join the group and crossing her arms over her chest.

“I-” Marinette started, but Adrien came to her rescue.

“Actually, I confessed to her,” Adrien corrected, and everyone gasped in delight.

“Dude, I didn’t know you were into Marinette.” Nino punched his arm.

“I only realized it myself recently. Around Heroes’ Day actually,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Marinette is always trying so hard to help everyone, and I realized at the picnic that I really admired her, but she’s so amazing I was a little nervous about telling her. Then when she got kicked out of school, I couldn’t bear to let my feelings go unsaid any longer, so I went by her house and told her.”

The class hung onto every word, their faces bright with intrigue and excitement, and even Marinette found herself getting lost in his words. She had to remind herself that this was all just a cover story and not real, but a girl could dream, couldn’t she?

“That’s so romantic!” Rose sighed, cupping her cheeks.

“We’re so happy for you two,” Mylene added.

“We can totally go on double dates now!” Alya said, taking Marinette’s hands excitedly.

“Well, congratulations, you two,” Lila said with a sly grin. “So, have you two kissed yet?”

“Kissed?” Marinette’s spine stiffened.

“Yeah. You aren’t a real couple until you’ve kissed,” she said, and Marinette felt her palms starting to sweat again.

“She’s right, ya know.” Mylene nodded, and several classmates echoed their agreement.

“Uh, well, we…” Marinette fumbled, cheeks hot, and Adrien gave her hand a squeeze.

“We haven’t kissed yet because we want it to be a special moment,” he piped up, and Marinette relaxed a little.

“Oh, come on. Don’t be shy.” Lila insisted, eyes baring into them tauntingly. “If you two are really a couple then kissing shouldn’t be a big deal.”

“I don’t think now is the best-” Adrien tried, but he was soon drowned out by the encouraging chants of their classmates.

He turned to Marinette with an apologetic wince, and they averted their gazes, cheeks pink as the chorus around them grew. Adrien’s eyes seemed to carry a hint of defeat, and Marinette recognized the telltale signs of insecurity in them that signaled his desire to back down. It was the same look he got whenever his bodyguard showed up to take him away from hangouts - the lack of will to fight.

Adrien didn’t like to cause trouble for others, and Lila knew that, her expression growing smugger with each passing moment of their hesitance. Her eyes seemed to read, “gotcha” as they shrank more and more under pressure, but as Adrien opened his mouth to call an end to their suffering, Marinette reached out and took his hand.

“Okay,” she said over the noise. “We’ll do it.”

“That’a girl!” Alya cheered.

“Are you sure this is okay?” Adrien asked softly.

“Yes. I’m sure,” she said with a reassuring smile, and he swallowed hard before placing a hand on her waist and leaning down.

Marinette stretched up to meet him, the whole class holding their breath in anticipation. It wasn’t exactly how she pictured her first kiss with Adrien, but his lips were gentle and uncertain as if asking for permission. Her lips tingled against his, and she could hardly believe that this was really happening. She could barely feel her feet on the floor anymore, and it only got worse when they both realized that they’d have to be a bit more convincing, leaning deeper into the kiss, prompting wolf whistles and cheers from their fellow classmates until they finally parted with rosy cheeks.

“Sorry,” Adrien mouthed as Nino wrapped an arm around his shoulders while the other boys patted him proudly, and the girls all crowded around her with similar praises.

“Well, I guess now we’re official,” she said, reaching for Adrien’s hand again.

“Good for you two,” Lila said through thinly veiled disdain that only Marinette and Adrien picked up on.

“Thanks,” Marinette shot back with equal venom.

“Good morning, class. Everyone find your seats,” Mlle. Bustier instructed upon entering the room.

Marinette gave Adrien a reassuring smile, and his gaze softened on her, conveying his gratitude for her help. She’d probably have to explain a lot to him later, but for now they were in the clear. That is, _almost_ in the clear.

As Marinette moved to her seat, she found herself met with cold green eyes glaring from the top row, and in that moment, she knew she hadn’t heard the last of Lila.

***

“Okay, so we ran into a small hiccup, but I think it was a good start,” Adrien said that afternoon over tea.

“We’ll have to watch out for Lila. She’s so good at lying, she can see through anything,” Marinette said, tapping the side of her cup with her fingers, and Adrien nodded in agreement.

“Fortunately for us we’re such good friends that no one had a hard time believing we actually like each other. Even Alya and the girls were convinced you’ve had a crush on me,” Adrien said, flashing her a grin.

“Um, yeah, totally! We get along so well that it would be easy to read our interactions as romantic,” she stammered, tugging on one of her pigtails before taking a big gulp of tea and breathing a sigh of relief.

“Exactly, and since we both know Lila is a liar, we can look out for one another. I can make sure she doesn’t try anything suspicious with you again, Marinette,” he said, perking up a bit. “Ya know, I was really nervous about all of this, but you and I work so well together that I think we’ll be able to pull it off. I almost think we’d make a good real couple if we actually felt that way about each other.”

“Yeah, totally,” she said flatly, tracing the rim of her cup and averting her gaze to hide her disappointment.

“Thanks again for agreeing to do this. I know it’s a lot to ask, but you really saved me,” he said, placing a hand on her shoulder with a warm smile. “Not having to pretend with Lila is a huge weight off my shoulders. I’m really in your debt, Marinette.”

“It’s no biggie. Anything for a friend,” she forced a smile, and Adrien’s phone buzzed.

“Gotta head to fencing. Thank again, Marinette.” He stooped to kiss her cheek with a wink. “See you tomorrow, girlfriend.”

“Yeah, see you.” She waved as he gathered his things and headed out the door before leaning against her fist with a sigh.

“What’s the matter, Marinette? You and Adrien are finally dating, shouldn’t you be happy?” Tikki piped up.

“That’s just it, Tikki. We’re not dating; it’s all just an act,” she sighed, swinging her legs around to the floor and heading up to her room where her photos smiled back at her mockingly. “This just confirms that Adrien really doesn’t see me as anything more than a friend.”

“Well, he picked you over Kagami. That has to mean something, right?” Tikki urged, but Marinette wasn’t convinced.

“He picked me because I know about Lila, so he wouldn’t have to explain why he couldn’t date her,” Marinette corrected, flopping onto her bed. “I have a feeling that this fake romance is the only romance I’ll ever get with him.”

“You don’t know that for sure. Maybe this will help him realize that he has feelings for you, and you’ll end up together for real!” Tikki said, spreading her arms out.

“Yeah, as if I could be so lucky,” she grumbled, reaching out to touch a photo on her corkboard, and Tikki deflated.

“If Adrien knew your true feelings, I’m sure he’d never ask you to go through with this if it hurts you,” she said, sinking down onto the pillow next to Marinette’s head. “Why don’t you tell him you can’t do it?”

“Because then he’ll have to date Lila, and I can’t let that happen. Adrien is desperate to stay away from her, and he’s come to me for help as a friend. I couldn’t say no,” she explained, face falling. “I can swallow my own feelings if it means that Adrien is happy. I’d do anything for him, even if it hurts.”

“Just be careful, Marinette. If you bury your feelings too much, it will only hurt worse later, and if you let your emotions get the better of you, then Hawkmoth could akumatize you.”

“Don’t worry, Tikki.” Marinette flashed her a smile, reaching up to brush her cheek. “I won’t ever let that happen again. Never again...”

***

Lila sat on the park bench, glaring ahead as children ran and played just a few meters away. Behind her, a silver car rolled to a stop, and her jaw clenched as she heard the window roll down.

“I thought you promised that I’d be the one dating Adrien,” she growled.

“Adrien has become more secretive and rebellious as of late, but don’t worry. I will take care of this frivolous romance of his,” Gabriel said calmly. “Things will be smoothed over soon enough then you can have your reward.”

As the window rolled up and the car pulled off, a sly grin curled on Lila’s lips as she glared over at the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Marinette wasn’t going to keep Adrien away from her. She had no clue who she was messing with.

***

“Your soup, monsieur.”

Adrien smiled up at his server politely before picking up his spoon, but to his surprise, the dining room door opened for his father. Back stiffening, he sat up straight, dropping his spoon and blinking to ensure he wasn’t dreaming. Although, considering the circumstances, he supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised. The room seemed to grow hotter in an instant, and Adrien swallowed as his father took his seat.

“Father-”

“Who gave you permission to see Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” Gabriel started coldly, and Adrien felt his stomach flip.

“I-”

“It wasn’t me or Nathalie, so who was it?” He pressed, and Adrien shifted his gaze to his lap.

“No one,” he mumbled.

“What was that?” Gabriel quirked a brow.

“I said no one,” Adrien spoke up. “Father, I just wanted-”

“_I_ am the one who decides what is best for you,” Gabriel cut him off sharply. “You will stop seeing this girl at once.”

“But, Father-”

“End of discussion, Adrien. You have betrayed my trust, and I will not tolerate you disobeying me.” Adrien’s jaw clenched, his hands squeezing into fists.

“Why can’t I be with her?” He shot back, eyes watering.

“Because I said so-”

“What has she ever done to make you disapprove?” Adrien continued. “Marinette is smart and kind, and she’s always helping others.”

“That’s enough, Adrien!”

“She’s the best possible influence I could have!” Adrien said, voice rising in volume.

“That is not your decision to make,” Gabriel growled, and Adrien’s fists shook in his lap, air building inside his lungs until he couldn’t contain it anymore.

“I love her!” He shouted, slamming his fist on the table and Gabriel sat back with a stern glare. “I’m in love with her, so please don’t take her away.”

“If you felt this strongly about her, you should have come and talked to me,” Gabriel said, calmer now. “You went behind my back which is something I cannot forgive so easily, and if your outbursts are a result of your feelings for her then I forbid you from seeing her ever again.”

“Father, no!” Adrien pleaded, but Gabriel stood up, signaling the end of their conversation.

“I will have my dinner in my office,” he instructed Nathalie as he headed for the door. “See to it that Adrien practices his piano before bed.”

“Yes, sir,” Nathalie said, flicking her gaze over to Adrien whose head hung low.

“Is this what she would have wanted?” Gabriel froze at the door at Adrien’s voice, turning to face him. “Mom. Is this what she would have wanted?”

“She would have wanted what was best for you,” Gabriel said flatly, but Adrien met his gaze challengingly, causing Gabriel to quirk a brow.

“Even if it made me unhappy?” He asked, and Gabriel lowered his gaze, turning back to the door with a sigh. “What would you do in my position? If there was a way that you could be with Mom again, wouldn’t you take it?”

“I’d do anything to get your mother back,” he said, voice low and gravely, and he stood in silence for a moment before speaking again. “I will allow you to continue your relationship with Miss Dupain-Cheng if it really means so much to you. Nathalie will keep an eye on both of you.”

“Thank you, Father!” Adrien said, shoulders relaxing in relief.

Gabriel pursed his lips, staring ahead with a distant expression before nodding and pushing open the door. Adrien leaned back in his chair, breathing a sigh of relief before finally digging into his meal. That was close. _Too_ close, but he was safe. For now.

***

Marinette was in her room when Adrien called, and she took a deep breath before answering.

“Hey, Adrien, what’s up?” She said in an attempt to sound casual though it came off stiffer than she’d like.

“Okay, so my father tried to intervene, but I convinced him to allow us to be together, so that’s good I guess,” he stated, rubbing the back of his neck. “He’s not really letting up on my schedule very much, but Nathalie said you can come along and watch my photoshoots or practices if you want.”

Her heart skipped at the thought. This was everything she’d always wanted. An opportunity to be closer to Adrien and watch him while he worked, but she found it hard to be excited when she knew deep down that none of it was real. Maybe if she hoped hard enough then Tikki would be right about him falling for her in the end. She could wish anyway.

“That’s good to hear,” she replied with a smile.

“I did persuade Nathalie to pencil in a little time on Friday, so I can take you out on a date,” he said sounding satisfied with himself. “I think it will help solidify things publicly for us.”

“What if we posted on Instagram? That way a lot of people can see us,” she suggested.

“Good idea, Marinette!” Adrien praised. “Can you come over now?”

“Now as in right now?” Her eyebrows raised.

“Yeah. I’m just practicing my piano then I was going to work on homework,” he said, and Marinette bit her lip.

“Um, sure. I can come over now I guess,” she said, pursing her lips with a wince.

“Awesome! This will be the first time anyone has gotten to hang out here with my father’s permission.” He grinned, seeming excited, and Marinette’s face softened with a laugh.

“See you soon,” she said, and Adrien’s sunny disposition reminded her of why she’d agreed to this.

He’d seemed so anxious earlier that morning, but now he was totally relaxed. Even if he didn’t love her romantically, Adrien felt comfortable enough with her to go through with all of this, so that had to count for something. Her friendship meant a lot to him, so she’d always be there when he needed her. No matter what.

***

Lila glared down at her phone as she stalked up the sidewalk. Adrien and Marinette’s newest Instagram post told her that Gabriel hadn’t held up his end of the deal after all. Seeing them snuggled together as Adrien showed her how to play piano was so sickeningly sweet, she could barf. It seemed as though she needed to take matters into her own hands to expose their phony relationship. Not having Gabriel’s help did make that somewhat difficult, but Lila wasn’t one to back down from a challenge.

“Good morning, Chloe!” Sabrina greeted off to Lila’s right as the girl in question climbed out of her limo and tossed her purse into her arms without glancing up from her phone. “How was your trip to London for your uncle’s birthday yesterday?”

“Ugh, so lame.” Chloe rolled her eyes. “Do you have my homework?”

“Yes, Chloe. All finished and everything.” Sabrina presented it. “There is something I think you should know before you go inside…”

“Did Kim start wearing that awful cologne again?” Chloe gagged, nose wrinkling in disgust.

“Well, no-”

“Good. It gives me a headache.” Chloe massaged her temples. “Spit it out already. I don’t have all day.”

“Well, have you checked Instagram today?” Sabrina winced.

“This morning. I have 200 new followers,” Chloe said, fluffing her ponytail.

“Did you see Adrien’s newest post?” Sabrina asked as Chloe applied more lip gloss.

“No. I get notified every time Adrikins posts,” she said, smushing her lips together before closing her compact. “Why?”

“Well…yesterday he and Marinette announced that they’re dating, and-”

“They did _what_?” Chloe snapped, and Sabrina instinctively shrank. “Do my ears deceive me?”

“Yesterday at school while you were out, they came in holding hands, and then they kissed-”

“Dupain-Cheng kissed _my_ Adrien? Ridiculous. Utterly _ridiculous_! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Chloe shouted.

“Well, Adrien posted a photo of the two of them on his Instagram last night, so I thought you’d seen it.” Sabrina winced, bowing apologetically.

“Ugh, this stupid app didn’t notify me!” Chloe growled down at her phone before gasping in realization. “Oh, no! I have that stupid wannabe blocked! That’s why it didn’t show me his post. Ugh! Dupain-Cheng thinks she’s so clever stealing Adrien out from under me while I’m away. She’s _not_ going to get away with this!”

Lila ducked behind the column as Chloe stomped up the stairs, pursing her lips. Fate, as it would seem, just handed her a second chance, and perhaps she wouldn’t have to do anything after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You didn't think I forgot about Chloe, did you? ;)  
Oh, Adrien those words will ring truer than you realize soon enough. I hope you all know this fic is going to be the pinnacle of Adrien obliviousness, and you might rip your hair out in a few chapters at how blind this boy is. It's gonna get bad. His denial will be off the charts. Just prepare your bodies. It'll all be worth it in the end though. I promise.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need some fluff after pt 1 of the finale today, so I'm uploading this early.  
Hope you enjoy~  
Warning: There is a steamy-ish makeout scene at the end of the chapter if that's not really your thing. This is a T rated fic, so nothing too spicy happens, but there will be lots of kissing in this fic.

Author's Notes:

Including this here because it's too long to fit in the notes boxes, but I noticed several people who were annoyed with the class last chapter, so I made a post about it on tumblr, and figured I'd share it here too:

"Okay, so I’ve seen several people being annoyed with the class in the latest chapter of my fake dating AU, so I feel like I should clear things up a bit? Because the issue in this chapter/scene isn’t the class, it’s Lila.

You as a reader know that Adrien and Marinette’s relationship is fake, ergo they might be uncomfortable kissing each other in general let alone in front of everyone (particularly because they just decided to do this 5 minutes ago). The class does not know this. From their perspective, their two friends are in love and want to kiss each other, Adrien even says as much. From their perspective, Marinette has been head over heels for this boy since day 1, and now she is finally getting the chance to be with him. They’re super fucking pumped for them. They think that Adrien and Marinette are happy. Them playfully goading them to kiss isn’t the real problem here. That would be Lila.

See Lila knows that the girls (and most of the boys) are all pulling for Adrinette to happen. She’s seen the picnic, she’s seen the birthday, and since this fic is post-Ladybug, she has seen the events of Startrain too. She knows that the class is invested in making this relationship happen. She also strongly suspects what is really going on in that Adrien and Marinette are only dating to prevent her from dating Adrien as was her agreement with Gabriel. The two very people who know she’s a liar getting together on the very day that she was supposed to become his girlfriend is no coincidence to her. And unfortunately for them, she also knows how much Adrien likes to avoid conflict and how much he doesn’t like to trouble people. She knows that Marinette can barely function around Adrien normally let alone pretending to be his girlfriend, so what does she do with all of this knowledge?

She uses it. She pokes the bear.

She tosses the class some bait knowing they will latch onto it. She issues a challenge to Marinette and Adrien. She tries to call their bluff and almost succeeds, but Marinette’s will to keep Adrien out of her clutches outmatches her nerves about kissing him as well as Adrien’s fear of causing too much trouble for her. The pressure of this scene wasn’t to kiss or not to kiss, it was to commit to the lie or admit the truth, and in a way it’s Marinette’s way of telling Adrien that she is committed to helping him.

Adrien and Marinette agreed to pretend to be in love. Kissing, snuggling, holding hands, etc comes with the territory on that, and somewhere in the back of their minds they knew that. They didn’t plan very well ahead of time, but these were all things they unconsciously agreed to going into this mess. It’s the point. To be a couple in public. To kiss in public, to hold hands in public, to appear to be in love in public. Their relationship _is _public. So the class insisting they kiss publicly was bound to happen, and in a way Marinette realizes this which is why she says at the end of chapter 1 that they have a slight problem because she knows how her friends are and she also knows that her feelings are genuine so her friends are about to flip their shit. She doesn’t fault them for that because they’re happy for her because to them she finally got with the boy she likes. Lila is the problem here which they point out after that. She knows they’re lying, so she is their number one problem. Not the class being happy for them and wanting them to be the couple they say they are because for most couples, kissing is a very normal thing to do.

They could have easily insisted that “oh, we’re too nervous” or “we don’t feel comfortable doing this in front of everyone” but that wasn’t the point of the scene. Lila challenged them, and they accepted. Lila wanted them to crumble under pressure, but they didn’t. Kissing in front of everyone was going to happen eventually. Probably later that day even just in their whole act of being a couple. Lila just moved the time table up and increased the pressure in an attempt to get them to crack. It’s not the class’ fault for being excited for their friends and expecting them to be a couple when they just walked in and said, “Hey, we’re a couple.” Had they truly expressed discomfort with it, the class likely would have backed down and respected it seeing as several of them are coupled up and probably know how nervous you can be in the beginning stages of a relationship. But you can’t fault them for not knowing that their relationship is fake and that they were both secretly a little flustered about going through with it. In their eyes, kissing was something they wanted to do because they’re in love. Because it’s normal and expected of couples.

They weren’t “forced” to kiss. Pressured, sure, but they could have said no. They chose not to. Adrien even asks Marinette before they do if she is certain she’s okay with this which in translation he isn’t just asking about the kiss, he’s asking about all of it. Committing to the lie. And she says yes. Then after they seal the deal and decide they’re all in, he apologizes for all of the trouble he’s causing her and that he’s going to cause her moving forward.

So, yeah Lila and the class pressured them to kiss, but ultimately they both consented to it which in a way they already had when deciding to be a fake couple. But again that scene wasn’t about the kiss, it was about the lie. Just so we’re clear on that. Everything is cool beans with them. They’re not mad at the class. They don’t feel mortally and emotionally traumatized from it. Even after it happened they weren’t that upset by it. They were a bit vexed with Lila, but more in a okay she knows so we are gonna have to watch that kind of way. So like, it’s fine. Chill." Now I hope you all enjoy the chapter~

\----------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 3

Innocent bystanders dove out of the way, running to safety as Chloe marched past with a stern expression, but she only had one target on her mind this time.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng!” Chloe shouted, kicking open the door to the locker room to spot the wretch in question with Adrien’s arm around her shoulder.

“Here we go,” Marinette sighed.

“How dare you stoop so low! You were just waiting for me to turn my back so you could steal, Adrien,” she accused, and Marinette rolled her eyes. “Unhand him this instant!”

“Chloe, Adrien was the one who confessed to Marinette,” Alya said pointedly with an amused smirk.

“There’s no way Adrien would _ever_ be into Dupain-Cheng! He has much better taste,” Chloe scoffed indignantly, flipping her ponytail.

“Actually, it’s true, Chlo,” Adrien piped up, and her head snapped to him. “Marinette and I are in love.”

“In l…lo…ve?” Chloe’s expression changed from angry to horrified. “You’re in love with _her_?”

“Yes.” Adrien winced, pulling Marinette closer as Chloe processed those words.

The room fell silent, all eyes on her as her shoulders began to heave, and they braced themselves against her unhinged expression. Half of them expected her to explode. The other half thought she might lunge at Marinette, but to their surprise, she simply let out a pathetic whimper, knotting her hands into fists as tears streamed down her cheeks before she turned and darted off.

“Whoa, did Chloe really just back down?” Nino’s eyebrows raised in surprise.

“That’s the first I’ve seen,” Alya said in equal disbelief, and Adrien sighed.

“It’s the first time I’ve gone against her in a way she can’t get out of,” he said with a wince.

“She’ll get over it,” Alya said with a shrug. “We have got to go out on a double date this weekend. This is gonna be so awesome now that you two are together!”

“Yeah, totally!” Marinette echoed.

Lila glared around the corner as the group made plans for the weekend. It seemed as though Chloe hadn’t been as much of a crushing force as she’d hoped, so she supposed she’d just have to do things herself if she wanted to pull the plug. After all, Gabriel had still been true to one promise.

***

“Knock, knock.”

Chloe laid face down in her bed later that afternoon, not even bothering to look up when anyone entered.

“Hey, Chlo. Can I come in? I brought you some sushi.” Her chest tightened at his familiar voice, timid and apologetic as ever, and she finally lifted her head to reveal mascara-streaked cheeks and a red nose.

“Traitor!” She barked, and Adrien averted his gaze with a sigh, setting the small box on the nightstand before sitting on the edge of the bed.

“I didn’t think you’d be this upset,” he said with a wince, and Chloe hugged her pillow to her chest with a pout.

“She’s horrible! How could you fall for _her_?” She whined.

“I know you two don’t get along, but Marinette has always been a dear friend to me. She’s kind and caring, and I admire so many things about her,” Adrien said, and Chloe gagged. “Look, I don’t expect you two to ever get along, but she’s my girlfriend now, Chloe. Whether you like it or not.”

“Are you sure she didn’t drug you?” Chloe quirked a brow.

“I’m sure,” Adrien sighed.

“And you’re not a clone?”

“Nope.” He shook his head.

She lowered her gaze to her pillow and sighed.

“Just promise me one thing,” she said softly, flicking her gaze up to meet his.

“What’s that?” He asked, tilting his head and tucking her hair back into place.

“Promise you won’t abandon me,” she requested, and Adrien’s face softened into a smile.

“Of course not, Chlo. We’ll always be friends,” he said.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Chloe set her pillow aside, crawling into his arms and squeezing him tight, and Adrien’s face fell a little as he leaned his head against hers.

He wasn’t sure how Lila could stand to lie to people all the time. Tricking the people he cared about made him feel hollow inside, but he had to remind himself of the alternative to telling the truth. It wasn’t an option he could risk. Not ever.

***

“Excellent work today, m’lady. I think I deserve a reward for saving that bus,” Chat said, leaning down and puckering his lips, though after a moment, he blinked and pressed them into a firm line.

“Wow, I didn’t even have to flick your nose this time,” Ladybug said as he straightened and rubbed the back of his head.

“Yeah…” He said with a wince, and Ladybug quirked a brow.

“You okay, Chat Noir?” She asked, and he plastered on a smile before retrieving his staff.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Better get going before I change back,” he said before vaulting off.

It was strange, but he felt a little guilty flirting with Ladybug, like he was somehow being unfaithful to Marinette. They weren’t _really_ dating, so it wasn’t _technically_ two-timing. Not to mention to the rest of Paris, Adrien Agreste and Chat Noir were two different people, so no one would ever know if he did, yet it still made him feel kind of skeevy.

Sure, Marinette was his fake girlfriend, but in a way that technically still made her his girlfriend in some capacity. Maybe he was overthinking everything, but ever since this whole thing started, he’d been so conflicted and confused.

He hated lying to everyone, but he didn’t have another choice. Not to mention he was potentially sacrificing both of their happiness by being with someone they didn’t truly love. Was it fair of him to tie Marinette up for his own selfish reasons? What if she loved someone else who overlooked her because she was in a relationship with him? What if she ended up alone because of him? Marinette didn’t deserve that.

She was the most amazing girl he’d ever met, and she deserved to have someone who loved her for real. Someone who would treat her like a queen and give her the world, and he supposed that even if he didn’t have romantic feelings for her, he was still her ‘boyfriend’ for the time being. So, until they could break things off safely, he’d give her everything that he could and treat her with every ounce of gentleness and dedication she deserved. It was the least he could do for her after everything. He only hoped that everything would work out for them in the end, and that entering this fake relationship wouldn’t turn out to be a horrible mistake.

***

Marinette fidgeted outside the gate of the Agreste mansion, twisting the hems of her jacket between her hands. She’d been to the mansion to spend time with Adrien the night before, and he said his father was okay with the two of them being together, yet when he texted her that his father wanted to speak to both of them, she couldn’t help but freak out a little.

Was he onto them? Had he changed his mind? What if he banned her from ever speaking to Adrien again? Then he’d never fall in love with her for real! They’d never get their house or three kids or the dog or the hamster named-

“Shouldn’t you ring the bell, Marinette?” Tikki piped up from her purse.

“I’m too scared,” she admitted, biting her nails. “Mr. Agreste is huge in the world of fashion, and he’s Adrien’s very strict and hard-to-impress father. What if I trip and spill hot tea in his lap, and he gets scalded and then it gets infected then he’ll have to retire early, and it’ll be all my fault, Adrien will probably never speak to me again, and I can kiss my dreams of becoming a fashion designer goodbye for good.”

“Marinette, you always think too much,” Tikki chided gently with an amused glint in her eye. “He’s probably just interested in who his son is dating. Besides, you’ve already impressed him with your hat designs.”

“I know, but this is different. He doesn’t know me much outside of the hat design, and you know how protective he is of Adrien,” Marinette said pointedly. “If I screw this up Adrien could end up having to date Lila, and I can’t let that happen at any cost!”

“Well, you can’t impress him if you never go in. They’re probably waiting on you,” Tikki said, and Marinette tensed.

“You’re right! If I’m late because I was out here panicking, then I’m already off to a bad start. I can do this!” She took a deep breath before pressing the doorbell with a nervous squeak.

“Yes?” Nathalie’s voice sounded through the camera that poked out.

“Um, hello.” Marinette waved.

“Come on in, Marinette. Mr. Agreste is waiting,” Nathalie said before the camera retracted, and the gate opened.

Marinette swallowed hard before hesitantly creeping up the front steps to the door where Nathalie let her in. She wiped her palms on her pants as they headed for Mr. Agreste’s office. Once through the door, her eyes locked with Adrien’s who gave her an encouraging smile as he stood up and crossed the room to greet her. He stooped to kiss her cheeks before taking her hand and leading her to her seat beside him.

“Are we in trouble?” She whispered to him, and he shrugged.

“No, Marinette. You’re not in trouble, you can relax,” Nathalie assured her, pouring a cup of tea and passing it to her.

“The media has been rather loud about you two,” Gabriel stated, staring up at the portrait of his wife before turning to face them. “Everyone is talking about your young love, and they all want to know who Adrien Agreste’s girlfriend is.”

“Of course, they’ve seen you two together before, and several magazines have already published speculation that you two have been together for several months ever since your incident at the movie theater,” Nathalie continued. “The point is people are curious about your relationship, so we’ve arranged an interview for you both with Mode with a collaborative shoot to go with it.”

“Collaborative? As in-”

“You two will be posing together,” Gabriel said with a nod. “You will answer the public’s burning questions and promote the brand. We originally thought Miss Rossi would have been a more suitable choice, but the public is also quite familiar with you, Marinette.”

“As it turns out, people are quite happy with the two of you pairing up, seeing as Marinette has designed for you, Adrien,” Nathalie said, and Marinette felt her cheeks flush as Adrien cast her a warm smile.

“I’m glad. We’re happy too,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze.

“Your relationship will be good the brand, so I will allow you two out publicly provided that Gorilla accompanies you,” Gabriel said, turning his attention back to his screen.

“Thank you, Father,” Adrien said, perking up as Nathalie moved to the door.

“That is all,” Gabriel said dismissively, and Nathalie gestured them out.

“Father, is it okay if Marinette stays for a while?” Adrien requested.

Gabriel glanced at Nathalie who consulted her tablet.

“He has 40 free minutes before his fencing lesson,” she said, and Gabriel gave a permissive nod.

“Thank you, Father, Nathalie!” Adrien took her hand and led her up to his room, leaning against the door and letting out a sigh once they were inside. “Well, looks like everything is working out so far.”

“Shouldn’t we be concerned that your dad wants to use us to promote his brand?” Marinette quirked a brow.

“It doesn’t surprise me that he’s capitalizing on it. That’s the whole reason he wanted me to date Lila after all,” he said with a shrug. “I think it’s his way of justifying allowing us to be together.”

“Your happiness isn’t enough?” Adrien averted his gaze at that, so Marinette changed the subject. “You’ll have to give me pointers for modelling for our shoot coming up.”

“Don’t worry. That won’t be a problem,” he said, shoulders curling as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m more worried about being…convincing.”

“Convincing?” Marinette’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Yeah, ya know…being couple-like,” he said. “Being awkward and flustered worked when Lila put us on the spot because it was our first kiss, but if we want everyone to believe that we’re together, we’re going to have to sell it.”

“I guess you’re right. If we look uncomfortable together during the photoshoot, it will be pretty obvious that we’re faking,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “So, what do we do?”

“Well…” Adrien started, pursing his lips. “I have an idea, but…”

“But?”

“It’s…” His voice trailed off, his gaze dropping to his shoes. “I mean, it’s okay if you don’t want to, I just thought…”

“Thought what?” Marinette quirked a brow, giving him an encouraging nod to continue.

“Well, when you want to get better at something, you practice, so I was thinking that in order to be more convincing, we could…practice kissing.” He flicked his gaze up to hers timidly, ears burning when she visibly faltered. “It was just a dumb idea. We don’t have to.”

“No, no- it’s fine! I think it’s a good idea.” She waved her hands frantically. “I mean, we’re going to have to in front of everyone, so…”

“Right.” Adrien nodded, and they fell into silence, averting their gazes until Adrien reached out to take her hand again.

He led her over to his couch where they sat stiffly, and Adrien rubbed his palms on his jeans. Marinette sat still, hands balling into fists in her lap as Adrien adjusted to face her. Their eyes locked then immediately darted away, nervous laughs escaping their lips. He leaned in first, and Marinette sat forward to meet him, bumping her nose into his.

“Sorry!” They said in unison.

Adrien leaned in again, and this time Marinette sat still, her gaze flicking down to his lips as they inched closer. He was so close, his hair tickling her forehead as his eyelids hooded. Her breath hitched as their lips brushed, and Adrien hesitated, muttering a breathy apology with another awkward laugh before closing the gap between them.

Their lips fit together wrong. Hers were too stiff and his spread to wide. When she pictured kissing Adrien, she’d always imagined the world stopping, and the clouds parting, but this was…awkward. He seemed to feel it too, pulling back with a wince before leaning in once more, only this time they compensated too much for the other, reversing the roles.

They pulled away with apologetic laughs, Adrien leaning his forehead against hers with a sigh. All of her plans to make him fall in love with her were tossed out the window now. She couldn’t even manage to kiss him properly let alone charm him. How was she better at kissing Chat Noir in the middle of an akuma battle than Adrien in the privacy of his bedroom?

“I’m sorry,” Adrien said, and Marinette blinked in surprise.

“For what?” She asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I’m really terrible at this, and I just can’t stop thinking that I’m asking too much of you,” he said, lowering his gaze.

Technically, he was, but for different reasons she didn’t want to bring up right now. Instead, she reached up to cup his cheek with a kind smile.

“I wouldn’t have agreed to this if I thought I couldn’t handle it,” she said, lifting his chin. “We just need to relax, that’s all. We’re friends, and we care about each other, so we shouldn’t worry about being awkward or messing up if we both aren’t bothered by it.”

Adrien gave her one of those warm smiles that made her heart skip and nodded.

“You’re right, Marinette. I’m really grateful to have such an amazing friend like you. Any boy that ends up with you will be the luckiest person in the world,” he said, and she felt her cheeks flush.

His gaze flicked back down to her lips, and he leaned in once more, gently touching his lips to hers. A hand cupped her face, tenderly caressing her cheek while the other slid around her waist, and as much as she knew she shouldn’t, she let herself pretend that this was real. That Adrien loved her, and that they were really together.

For one small fraction of time, she didn’t worry about how much it would hurt later. How her heart would shatter and break when all was said and done. How painful it would be when she and Adrien went their separate ways, and she’d watch as he moved on with someone else.

She didn’t care. All that mattered to her were the soft lips entwined with her own, the gentle yet eager way he pulled her closer, tilting his head until his tongue slipped between her lips and made contact with hers. The soft moan that rumbled in his throat as she dared to reach up to curl her fingers through his golden locks that urged him to kiss her deeper until her back was against the couch as he pressed against her. The hungry way his tongue danced with her own and the breath shared between them that became heavier as they held tighter, hands knotting fistfuls of clothing and hair as what was meant to be a gentle melody evolved into a symphony.

Neither one cared to slow down. Adrien found himself just as lost in her as she was him, and he didn’t want to stop.

Marinette was a friend, a fact he knew this quite well, but something in this felt right. Kissing her was exhilarating and fun, and he had to admit, it felt pretty good. However, as was customary for his life, all good things came swiftly to an end, and when Nathalie cleared her throat forcefully, he felt the haze parting.

Pulling away, his eyes locked with Marinette’s who seemed just as dazed and confused as he did, and he realized how unconsciously entwined they’d become and quickly pushed away with flushed cheeks. Nathalie barely batted an eye as he looked up at her, wiping saliva from his mouth and fussing with his hair.

“Mr. D’Argencourt is here for your private fencing lesson,” Nathalie informed him, and he glanced at the time on his phone, realizing that more time had past than he first thought. In the moment, it seemed as though they’d only been kissing for a few seconds, but it had been over 40 minutes.

“Oh, um, yeah,” he said lamely, swallowing hard as he attempted to see through the dense fog that clouded his mind.

“You can see Marinette tomorrow at school,” she continued, shifting to give Marinette a path to the door, and the girl in question averted her gaze, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“Um, see you tomorrow,” she said quickly, and Adrien stood up with her.

“I’ll walk you out,” he offered, but Nathalie gave him one of those denying looks.

“Mr. D’Argencourt is waiting. You should get changed.” Was all she said, but Adrien knew the meaning behind those words.

_Say goodbye now. There is no time to waste._

“Um, yeah, I’ll see you at school,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck before leaning in to kiss her cheek. “Bye.”

“Bye,” she said before scurrying toward the door, and Nathalie gave him a pointed look before following after her.

Adrien checked the time again, touching his lips thoughtfully. So much time passed in an instant, and without him even realizing it, he’d gotten so carried away. Did kissing always feel that good? Or was there something deeper hiding inside him for Marinette?

He shook his head to clear it, letting out a deep breath before moving to the bathroom to change. There was no way. Marinette was just a friend doing him a favor. There was nothing between them. Nothing…and yet he couldn’t stop thinking about the taste of her lips or the softness of her skin all throughout his lesson.

Downstairs, Nathalie closed the office door behind her, a smirk on her lips.

“We’ll have to keep an eye on those two,” she said with a hint of amusement. “They were kissing rather passionately when I walked in.”

“See to it that they’re supervised,” Gabriel instructed, and Nathalie nodded before taking her seat at her desk.

Gabriel glanced up at the portrait behind him with a frown, hoping that his son never had to endure the pain that he did. He hoped, for Adrien’s sake, that he and Marinette could just be happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: Forgot these before posting, but I told you Adrien was going to be infected by the oblivious idiot virus in this fic, and it's only going to get worse. ;)  
I have a lot more shenanigans planned for this fic, so hope you all stay tuned!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uh, remember how last chapter I said there's going to be a lot of kissing in this fic? Well, I unintentionally decided to play a game of "how many times can I make Adrien and Marinette make out in one chapter" and my current record is 4 in this chapter. There's lots of kissing in the party scene, so if that's not your thing then tread carefully. A lot of it is in big consecutive paragraphs, so you can skip those if you wanna. This is precisely why I went for the teen rating, and I keep having to restrain myself from accidentally making this M rated XD

Chapter 4

Lila drummed her fingers on her folded arms with a scowl as she watched Marinette’s makeup artist work, the two chatting and smiling casually. It should be her doing that shoot and the interview, and now she was just going to be a side model while Marinette and Adrien got the cover with their stupid fairytale shoot. But they could enjoy this little performance while it lasted because it wouldn’t be long before she exposed them and set their fake relationship up in flames. Those goody-two-shoes couldn’t possibly keep their charade up for long, lying to their friends and family. It was going to eat away at them, and Lila was going to be there the second they cracked.

“You can wait by the fountain, my young principessa. Your Prince Charming is almost done with makeup,” the photographer instructed, pointing to her mark.

“Okay!” She smiled sweetly, and Lila rolled her eyes. Her niceness was so annoying, and her face fell the moment their eyes locked as she passed by.

“You may have everyone else fooled, but I can see right through your phony little relationship,” Lila said with a smirk, and Marinette’s eyes narrowed.

“Jealous?” She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Hardly,” Lila grunted. “Adrien doesn’t love you. He never has. You will always just be a friend to him.”

“Well, that’s more than you can say about him,” Marinette said with a laugh, and Lila felt her temper flare.

“You’re so clumsy, Marinette. It’s a real shame you won’t get your fairytale ending with Adrien after all,” Lila said, and Marinette’s eyes narrowed.

“What are you-” Before she could finish, Lila hooked her foot around Marinette’s ankle and pushed, sending her toppling backwards into the fountain.

“Oh, no! Help! Marinette’s so clumsy, she tripped and fell into the fountain!” Lila cried as Marinette flailed in an attempt to sit up, meeting her triumphant smirk with a glare.

“No, no! Your hair, the makeup! Get her out of there and into a back up dress,” the photographer ordered, but before he could stop him, Adrien darted from his chair and crawled into the fountain after her.

“Adrien, your clothes-” Marinette started as he knelt beside her.

“Are you okay?” He asked, eyebrows knit together worriedly.

“Fine. I-” She glanced up at the photographer and makeup artists crowding the fountain, eyes locking with Lila’s as she stood beside them innocently, and Lila quirked a brow at her as if issuing a challenge. “I tripped and fell in. I’m sorry.”

“Are you hurt?” Adrien asked, looking her over.

“No,” she said, eyes stinging as she tucked wet hair behind her ear then, feeling her earlobe, she gasped, “My earring!”

“Don’t worry. We have back-ups of those too,” her wardrobe specialist assured her, but panic surged through her chest.

“My grandmother gave me these earrings,” she said with a pout, training those desperate eyes on Adrien. Without hesitating, Adrien lowered onto his hands and knees, crawling along the bottom of the fountain despite how the photographer threw his head back with a groan.

“Got it,” he said after a few minutes of searching, holding it up.

Marinette breathed a sigh of relief as he crawled back toward her, gently pushing it through her lobe and brushing her cheek with the back of his hand.

“There, good as new,” he said with a loving smile. “Now let’s get you dried off, princess.”

Before she could protest, Adrien scooped her up into his arms, carrying her out of the fountain and to the tent set up across the courtyard. She clung to him awkwardly like a wet cat until he set her down and draped a towel over her shoulders, rubbing her arms a little to warm her up.

“Thanks,” she said, tugging at the corners.

“I’ve got you, always,” he said, kissing her hand before retreating back out to the sidewalk as Marinette’s team rushed in.

Lila stood off to the side, arms folded over her chest as the crew prepped for her shoot while Adrien and Marinette were indisposed, and Adrien passed her on the way to his tent with a scowl.

“Don’t think I don’t realize what happened just now,” he growled in her ear.

“I don’t know what you’re-”

“You seem a little slow to comprehend, so I’ll say it again. Stay away from, Marinette,” he said sternly.

“I didn’t do anything,” Lila insisted with a coy smile, but Adrien glared through her.

“We both know that’s a lie, but if you do anything to her, I’ll make sure no one listens to you ever again,” he shot back, and Lila rolled her eyes.

“You don’t have the guts,” she said with a laugh.

“Try me.” Lila quirked a brow, shrinking a little under his cold gaze, those green eyes filled with more malice than she’d ever seen.

“Whatever,” she grumbled, averting her gaze. “Even if I don’t do anything, it won’t be long before you two crack. You may have everyone fooled for now, but you’re both too angelic to keep this charade up for long. Just know that I look forward to watching your friends get crushed under the weight of your lies.”

Adrien’s jaw clenched as the photographer called her over for her shoot, hands clenched into fists at his sides. He couldn’t tell if he was shaking from the cool breeze against his wet clothes or from the unbridled rage burning inside him. Either way, he wasn’t going to let Lila off so easily.

***

“I can’t wait for your shoot to release. You look so beautiful,” Alya said the next day in the locker room, staring down at the picture Marinette had uploaded to her Instagram. “You two are so cute together.”

“Thanks. It was really nerve-wracking, but I had fun,” Marinette said, rubbing the back of her neck.

“You did great,” Adrien assured her, and she smiled up at him as he leaned down to touch his nose to hers.

“I’m more interested in this article about you saving Marinette from the fountain,” Nino said, flipping his phone around to show an image of a very soaked Marinette being carried by Adrien.

“You’re such a klutz, girl,” Alya laughed. “But it was super cute of you to jump in after her like that, Adrien.”

“The photographer didn’t think so,” Adrien chuckled with a wince. “But I’d do anything for you, my love.”

“Aww,” Nino and Alya cooed as he planted a soft kiss on her flushed cheeks.

“I have to go get changed for fencing, but Nathalie promised we could hang out afterward while we do homework,” he said. “Provided that we actually work on it.”

“You’ll have to keep your hands to yourself,” Marinette said teasingly.

“It’s not my hands you should be worried about.” He winked, leaning down to kiss her goodbye.

“Oh, Adrien. There you are, I-” Kagami approached with her gym bag, stopping short when she saw them together. “Am I interrupting?”

“Oh, Kagami,” Marinette said, spine stiffening as her brown eyes darted between them.

“Hey, I was just about to get changed,” Adrien said, shouldering his duffle bag.

“You and Marinette are a couple now?” She asked, voice guarded and hesitant as if she were fighting to maintain her composure.

“Yeah. We’ve been together for almost a week now,” Adrien said, and Marinette bit her lip.

“I see,” Kagami said, lowering her gaze. “Congratulations. I hope you two are very happy.”

“I’ll just be a few minutes then we can warm up,” Adrien said before retreating to the bathroom.

“Excuse me. I think I left my jacket in the bathroom,” Kagami said, bowing politely before retreating to the other side of the locker room.

“Kagami, wait!” Marinette called after her.

“Trouble in paradise already.” Alya winced as Marinette gave chase, and Nino quirked a brow.

“What?” He asked, and Alya rolled her eyes.

“Kagami has feelings for Adrien too. She and Marinette were kind of competing to catch his attention,” Alya explained. “And now Marinette’s won, so Kagami must be devastated.”

“Man, being a hot teen model is messy. It doesn’t matter who you end up with. You’re always gonna break some hearts,” Nino said.

“Good thing I don’t have to worry about that with you,” Alya teased, brushing his nose with her finger.

“Hey!” Nino puffed his cheeks, and Alya threw her head back with a laugh. “Do you think they’re all gonna be okay?”

“Knowing Marinette, I’m sure she and Kagami will smooth things over,” Alya said. “I hope anyway. Marinette has had a crush on Adrien since day one, and now they’re finally together. I’d hate for anything to ruin that.”

“Kagami!” Marinette called, but the girl in question didn’t stop as she pushed open the bathroom door. “Please, wait!”

“I appreciate your concern, Marinette, but I’m fine,” Kagami said finally, spinning around to face her, and although she wore a smile, Marinette could see the hurt in her eyes.

“I’m sorry you had to find out this way. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Marinette said, and Kagami shifted her weight.

“I know, Marinette. It’s not your fault my mother keeps me from things she deems unnecessary like social media and texting. I’m not angry with you or Adrien,” she said, lowering her gaze to her shoes. “My friends are happy, and I should be happy for them.”

“Kagami,” Marinette started with a sigh. “You’re hurt, and I’m not going to try to convince you that you shouldn’t be. I understand if you don’t want to see me right now, but you’re my friend. I’m here for you if you need me.”

“Thank you, Marinette, but I don’t see a point in crying over a boy. They’re rarely worth it,” Kagami said, and Marinette frowned.

“Your feelings are worth it,” Marinette said, and Kagami processed that for a moment before her face fell, tears bubbling in her eyes and shoulders beginning to shake.

Marinette stepped forward, taking Kagami into her arms as she began to weep. She wasn’t sure what to say to make it better. She didn’t even think words existed that could. Pain like this could only be mended with time, with tears, with friendship, but in that moment, Marinette shared her pain because she wasn’t with Adrien anymore than Kagami was. But Marinette couldn’t tell her that, so she held her close until her sobs quieted, and her shaking stopped.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Marinette asked.

“I will be,” Kagami said, wiping at her cheek. “I’m glad that it’s you and not someone else like Lila. Now that I wouldn’t be able to stand.”

They both laughed at that.

“Thank you for checking up on me, Marinette. If anyone else is deserving of Adrien, it’s you, and I truly hope that you two are happy,” Kagami said with a bow.

“I hope that you find someone truly deserving of you too, Kagami. You’re really smart and amazing, ya know,” Marinette said, and Kagami smiled, cheeks flushing.

“I can see why Adrien likes you. You’re very kind, and I’m glad that we’ve become friends,” Kagami said, and this time Marinette was the one blushing. “I accept defeat.”

Marinette watched as she squared her shoulders and held her head high as she paced from the room, her heart twisting in knots. She knew that this arrangement with Adrien would be hard, but she didn’t picture it like this. She only hoped that they didn’t hurt anyone else when all was said and done.

***

“I’m really surprised your dad is letting you come to the party,” Marinette said on the limo ride to Nino’s apartment. “He’s really let up since we got together.”

“A little bit, yeah, but I also might have told him that we’re meeting up to work on a group project,” Adrien said, innocently batting his eyelashes with a smirk.

“You’ve been awfully rebellious lately,” Marinette noted with a grin, and Adrien folded his arms over his chest.

“It’s pay back for his attempt to stick me with Lila.” Adrien shrugged, and Marinette cupped a hand to her lips to stifle a giggle. “I just wanna have fun for once. Is that so wrong?”

“I don’t think so,” Marinette shook her head, and Adrien’s face softened as the limo slowed to a stop.

“Ready?” He offered her a hand.

“Yep.” She placed her hand in his before climbing out, twining their fingers together as they headed up the stairs to Nino’s door.

“Yo, Adrien!” Nino greeted, extending a fist for him to pound. “Giving your pops the slip so you can hang with your best bro and lady? Very sneaky, my dude.”

“I like to have fun every once in a while, ya know,” Adrien chuckled as Nino gestured them in.

Several of their classmates were standing around the living room chatting over drinks and snacks, and Alya waved them over to the couch. Nino draped his arm over her shoulders as they sat, and Adrien awkwardly did the same for Marinette.

“I’m so glad you two could make it,” Alya said, shifting to face Marinette. “We have tons of fun party games for couples, and you two are definitely playing.”

“Yeah, of course.” Adrien nodded, exchanging glances with Marinette.

“Awesome! I’m so glad you two are together now. You guys can go out on dates with us, and we can get ice cream at Andres, and we can go to couples’ events,” she said with increasing excitement. “I really am happy for you, girl. I know you’re perfectly capable and amazing on your own, and in no way do I think that being in a relationship is a necessity for everyone to find happiness, but it’s just kinda nice to have someone.”

“Yeah, no, totally. I get what you mean,” Marinette said with a smile that fell as soon as Alya turned her head.

Somehow, she wasn’t having very much fun at this party. To everyone else it appeared as though she had everything she wanted, but little did they know that she couldn’t be further from it. Adrien’s arm was around her, but it was meaningless, just a gesture to keep up appearances. She had to remind herself of why she was doing this because if she didn’t then it would be just another steppingstone for Lila to get what she wanted and make everyone fall further into her web. Adrien would be miserable, and Lila would lord their relationship over her until it was over. She had no other choice. She had to do this even if it hurt.

“Alya! You and Nino are up next to dance,” Rose said, gesturing over her shoulder to the screen where her partner score with Juleka flashed, and Alya cast Marinette a sly smirk.

“Why don’t we let Adrien and Marinette have a turn?” She suggested, nudging them with her elbow. “We can see how in sync you two are.”

“Uh, that’s oaky. We don’t want to-” Marinette started, but Adrien cut her off.

“Oh, yeah! Now I don’t have to solo or partner with Nino. C’mon, Marinette, this should be fun,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her up.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Marinette asked under her breath as Rose selected a song for them.

“Why not? It’s just dancing. We’ve danced together before.” He shrugged.

“Yeah, but…”

“Don’t worry. You and I will make a great team.” He winked, and she felt her limbs tense as all eyes fixed on them.

While it was true that dancing was easy enough, she couldn’t help but feel awkward as if they were broadcasting to everyone how fake their relationship was, so for the next several minutes she focused on getting the moves right. Adrien didn’t seem that concerned and seemed to be enjoying himself, so Marinette took a deep breath and forced herself to loosen up a bit. It wouldn’t matter if they flubbed one game, and no one was likely to question the authenticity of their relationship even if they did. At least, that’s what she told herself until Nino called out a hearty greeting, and Marinette caught sight of Lila entering as she spun.

The world seemed to move in slow motion as their eyes met, and the pit returned to Marinette’s stomach. Those taunting green eyes seemed to mock her from afar, speaking the worlds Lila didn’t have to.

_One wrong move, and everyone will know you’re lying. I’ll make sure of it._

Her heart jumped up to her throat, and in her moment of distraction, she lost her footing, tripping into Adrien and sending them both toppling to the floor. Adrien took most of the impact, cradling her instinctively to protect her, and the moment his back hit the ground, she shot up with a gasp.

“Are you okay?” They said in unison, and Marinette fumbled against his chest.

“I’m sorry!” She said with a wince as they sat up, and Adrien rubbed his back. “Are you hurt?”

“Nah, Kagami has done worse to me in fencing,” he assured her, brushing her cheek with the back of his knuckle. “I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

“It’s hard to be in sync with someone so clumsy. I feel bad for you, Adrien,” Lila said, crossing one leg over the other as Nathaniel and Kim laughed in agreement, and Marinette lowered her head in shame.

“That’s okay. I think it’s cute that she can’t stop falling for me,” Adrien said, prompting a chorus of ‘awws’ from their friends, and Marinette smiled up at him as he shot her a wink. “I’ll always catch you.”

Marinette felt her cheeks flush, and she leaned into kiss him sweetly, lingering a moment in hopes of expressing her gratitude.

“You two are so perfect together,” Rose cooed, cupping her hands to her cheeks.

“Up,” Adrien offered her his hands, pulling her back to her feet before lifting her hands to his lips. “Will you accompany me to the snack table for a cold drink, m’lady?”

“I’d be honored,” Marinette said, casting a pointed look at Lila as she linked her arm through his.

“Okay, Alya and Nino. You’re up!”

“Sorry about that. I let Lila get in my head,” she mumbled as Adrien dug two drinks from the cooler.

“That’s okay. I think it worked out better in the end anyway,” he said, passing her a can then swiping a macaron.

“Yeah,” Marinette said, glaring back over where Lila was sitting. “She just gets under my skin. I wish I could get back at her somehow.”

“I’m all ears if you have ideas,” he said before taking a swig of his orange soda.

“I know it’s not right to- wait, you want to get back at her too?” Marinette’s eyebrows raised in shock, and Adrien quirked a brow.

“Isn’t that what we’re doing?” Adrien motioned to the theoretical connection between them. “I’ve been ready ever since she got you expelled.”

“Are we taking the low road?” She asked with a smirk, and Adrien bit back one of his own.

“Not entirely, just…a little detour,” he proposed, pursing his lips deviously. “So, what do we wanna do?”

“Hmm…” Marinette hummed, glancing around the room at their assets, gaze lingering briefly on Ivan and Mylene embraced in the corner with locked lips and feeling her pulse accelerate at the thought. “I have an idea, but…”

“What is it?” Adrien asked with a prompting nod.

“It’s nothing. I’ll think of something else.” She waved it away.

“No, tell me,” he insisted, and she bit her lip before stretching up to whisper in his ear.

His eyebrows raised in shock, a grin curling on his lips as Marinette lowered back on her heels and winced.

“Okay,” he said with a laugh as her cheeks darkened, taking her hand and leading her to the chair in the corner.

Adrien sat first, placing his drink on the floor before extending his arms to her, and she awkwardly climbed into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. He smiled at her as she got situated, eyelids hooding before he leaned in to touch his lips to hers.

She was met with that same spark through her veins, drawing her in closer. His breath tasted like orange soda, and she wanted to drink as much of it as she could. It wasn’t real, and she knew that, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy it. That the eager way he hugged her against him, sucking her bottom lip with a contented sigh was genuine instead of an act.

If she thought too much about the true nature of their relationship, she’d never be able to pull this off. So, she pretended, pushing away those thoughts and kissing him deeper which he welcomed, cupping her cheek and letting his tongue slip into her mouth. If she knew one thing, it was that Adrien was going to drive her absolutely mad by the end of it if he always kissed her this way.

“Am I the only one who finds their relationship a bit odd?” Lila was saying across the room to Alya. “I find it hard to believe that they got together so suddenly. It’s like there’s something else going on.”

“What makes you say that?” Alya asked, quirking a brow. “Marinette has had a crush on him for like ever, and everyone knows that Adrien has always admired her a lot.”

“I just find it a little weird that Adrien never showed real interest in Marinette before outside of being friends, and now they’re suddenly so in love,” Lila said with a shrug.

“That’s just because Adrien is really private. There are things even Nino doesn’t know about him, and they’re best friends,” Alya said. “Besides, why would they lie about being in a relationship?”

“I don’t know, but they just seem so awkward and stiff, don’t you think?” Lila added, and Alya chuckled.

“They’ve only been together a couple weeks. You should have seen me and Nino when we started dating. It takes a while to get comfortable,” Alya said with a smirk before she sobered. “Do you have any proof that they’re not really together?”

“Yeah, I don’t think you have to worry about the two of them being genuine,” Nino grunted, pointing across the room where Marinette and Adrien sat tangled in each other’s arms, unabashedly making out without a care in the world.

“Seems pretty genuine to me,” Alya said pointedly to Lila before calling out to them with a whoop. “Oh la la, get a room, you two!”

The two separated just enough to turn to them with impish grins that grew wider when Lila’s jaw clenched.

“Hey, why don’t we play our first couples’ game?” Nino suggested, and Alya stood up with a nod as Nino downed the rest of his soda.

“Alright, it’s time to play 7 minutes in heaven for those participating,” Alya announced, and several classmates crowded into the room excitedly.

“What’s 7 minutes in heaven?” Adrien asked, and everyone shot him knowing smirks.

“It’s a game where you spin a bottle, and whichever couple it lands on has to go into a room for 7 minutes and makeout,” Alya explained.

“Among other things.” Nino waggled his eyebrows.

“Other things?” Adrien cocked his head to the side, and Alya elbowed her boyfriend with a pointed look.

“Just stick to kissing for now, Prince Charming. You’ll get to other stuff later,” Alya said, setting the bottle on the table as all the couples gathered around, and Lila was awkwardly shuffled out of the way, much to her annoyance.

“Okay, first up is…” Nino said as the bottle spun. “Juleka and Rose!”

Rose squeaked excitedly, grabbing Juleka’s hand and tugging her into the closet as Alya set the timer.

“Do you guys play this game often at parties?” Adrien asked as everyone carried on with their conversations.

“Yeah, we play this one, guess your partner where we blind fold you and you have to guess if the person kissing you is your partner or not. The newlywed game, find the mint, never-have-I-ever, all kinds of games,” Mylene said, counting them off on her fingers, and Adrien pursed his lips.

“Find the mint?”

“Oh, I think you two will be good at this one,” Alya said with a smirk, and Nino dug a tin of mints from his pocket. “One of you will hide a mint somewhere in your mouth, and it’s the other persons job to find it.”

“So, it’s just an excuse to make out?” Adrien quirked a brow.

“Pretty much.” Everyone nodded, and Alya shook the tin.

“Wanna play?” She asked, and Adrien glanced over at Marinette, biting his lip.

“It could be fun,” he said with a shrug. “Do you wanna play, my love?”

“As if you need an excuse to kiss me.” She rolled her eyes, holding her hand out to Alya who deposited a tiny mint into her palm, and Adrien looked the other way while she hid it.

“You have two minutes, Agreste,” Alya declared as Nino started another timer on his phone. “Go!”

Adrien bit back a grin, taking Marinette’s face in his hands and diving straight in. He could taste the mint on her tongue as he began his exploration, exchanging giggles as he pressed under her tongue only to come up empty. He could feel her smile as his tongue whipped around her mouth searching for its prize, his heart pounding as he leaned into her more. She wrapped her arms around his neck, trailing her fingers through his hair, and he let out a soft moan.

Kissing her made his pulse quicken and his skin tingle, fueling the burning sensation in his core. Her body was so soft against his own, her lips sweet and buttery to taste. Oh, how he enjoyed kissing those lips, feeling her tongue between his own as they clung to each other. It awakened something primal in him, and he never wanted the sensation to stop once it started. He could have spent hours with her.

He knew it wasn’t right to think such things about a friend, but once the thought entered his mind, he couldn’t get it to leave. Not that he wanted it gone anyway even if it did leave him feeling guilty. Marinette was just so fun and down-to-earth, and now whenever he looked at her, he couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was when she smiled. How cute she looked when deep in thought or when she was focused on something. All of her wonderful qualities were written on her face, and she was one of the most radiant people he’d ever seen. Being a good kisser was just an added bonus.

Whoever ended up with her in the end was gonna be lucky, and he had to admit he envied them a little. He’d give anything to be with someone like Marinette for real, and the longer they pretended, the more often he caught himself thinking that this _was_ real. Everything felt so natural with her, and there was no doubt in his mind that if they loved each other that they would truly be as happy as they pretended to be.

There were times when they were alone that he found himself resisting the urge to reach out and take her hand or hold her close, and he had to remind himself that there was no need for such things with no one around to see. It made his heart sink a little each time, but he kept telling himself over and over that they were just friends. Friends and only friends even if he just wanted to kiss her all the time now.

Marinette flinched as his tongue made contact with the mint between her cheek and her bottom teeth, successfully freeing it from its hiding place and pulling it into his own mouth. He pulled away with a triumphant laugh, showing the mint on his tongue to Alya who stopped the timer with an impressed nod.

“47 seconds to spare,” she said as he curled his tongue back into his mouth and finished off the now mostly dissolved mint.

“Can we play again?” He asked, and Marinette gave him a look.

“Knock yourselves out,” Alya laughed, setting the minds down on the coffee table before joining Nino on the couch.

“You seem really into this,” Marinette said as he picked out another mint, and he paused, feeling his heart jolt.

“Uh, I’m just trying to be convincing,” he said softly, glancing around at all the other couples.

“There is such a thing as _too_ convincing, ya know,” she shot back, quirking a brow, and he shrank a little.

“Sorry,” he said, lowering his gaze like a puppy scolded for tearing up the rug, and Marinette reached out to place a hand over his.

“It’s fine. Just be careful. We are still a new couple, so it makes sense to be a little crazy about all of this, but don’t overdo it,” she said, and he nodded in understanding.

“Yeah, sorry. I know you probably don’t like kissing me so much,” he said, and she pursed her lips to hide her smirk.

“I don’t mind it,” she admitted with a shrug.

“Really?” His eyebrows raised, heart skipping into a sprint in his chest.

“Yeah, it’s kinda fun…from an objective standpoint.” She rubbed the back of her neck.

“I like kissing you too,” he said, and her gaze flicked back to his as a shy smile curled on his lips. “I know I shouldn’t, but…I dunno. I like it.”

Marinette bit her lip, cheeks darkening a few shades as she reached into his palm, taking the mint from his hand and pressing it to his lips. She leaned in to kiss him again, and he wrapped his arms around her as they shared the mint between their tongues. Knowing that she enjoyed kissing just as much as he did made him feel better about all of this. He was already asking so much of her that he’d hate to think that he was bothering her _and_ reaping enjoyment from it. Marinette was so important to him, and he hoped she could tell that from the gentle way he caressed her cheek, meeting her with a tenderness that contrasted his former hungry passion.

He wanted so many things with Marinette. He wanted to touch her so softly and delicately as if she were a porcelain doll, but another part of him wanted to kiss her wildly and feel the heat of her flesh against his own. When all was said and done between them, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to look at her again without wanting to kiss those soft lips of hers or hold her small frame close, and the more he thought about ending things, the heavier his heart grew.

Marinette would make an amazing girlfriend. He cared about her, and he could talk to her for hours. Truthfully, he’d always wanted to get to know her better and learn what things went on in her head when she made that cute thinking face. She’d always been an enigma to him, and he so desperately wanted to figure her out.

As the last traces of the mint dissolved, their lips parted, but Adrien held her face close, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek before nuzzling against it with a sigh. She matched his gentleness by turning to kiss his hand, still cupping her jaw before leaning against his shoulder. He wondered if she could feel his heart pounding in his chest as they remained embraced for several moments until Ondine noticed with an adoring laugh.

“You two are so sweet. Why don’t you ever snuggle with me like that?” She turned to Kim, hugging his arm and resting her chin on his bicep.

“I’ll cuddle with you,” he said, seeming taken aback before wrapping his arms around her and pressing a kiss to her cheek much to her delight.

“There will be plenty of time for you two to cuddle because you’re next,” Alya announced as Juleka and Rose surfaced from the closet with ruffled hair and glassy eyes, walking hand-in-hand back to the beanbag they were sharing earlier.

After Kim and Ondine was Alya and Nino, but on the fourth spin, the bottle landed on Marinette and Adrien.

“You’re turn, girl.” Alya grinned at Marinette who turned to Adrien.

“Come on. I’ll teach you how to play,” she said, taking his hand and leading him down to Nino’s room, being sure to shoot Lila a purposeful glare on the way.

“See you two in 7 minutes,” Alya said with a wink as they closed the door.

“So, now we make out for 7 minutes?” Adrien quirked a brow, a small grin tugging on the corners of his mouth as he leaned down with puckered lips.

“Adrien, there’s no one in here but us. You don’t have to pretend,” Marinette said, and he peeked an eye open before deflating a little.

“Oh, I just thought that…Nevermind, you’re right.” He straightened, clearing his throat and tugging his collar. “So, we’re just gonna sit in here for 7 minutes then?”

“We aren’t going to make out, but…” Marinette reached into her purse to retrieve her lip gloss. “We’re going to make it look like we did.”

Adrien parted his lips as she stretched up, dabbing dots of gloss around the corners of his mouth before smearing them in with her finger. Next, she ruffled his hair, doing her best not to get too preoccupied with how soft it was. She gripped bunches of his shirt until they wrinkled before finally pinching the skin on his neck.

“What’s that for?” He asked.

“Fake hickey,” she said, tilting his jaw and pressing a few kisses to his neck surrounding the mark, leaving glossy impressions in her wake before repeating the process on her self.

“My first hickey,” Adrien said thoughtfully, examining it in the mirror.

“It’s not real,” Marinette said pointedly with a laugh.

“I know, but everyone will think it is,” he said, pursing his lips. “I really appreciate you going through so much effort for me.”

“I know how much you didn’t want to date Lila, and I wouldn’t want you to either. Unless you actually liked her in which case, I’d probably recommend you get your brain scanned,” she said, and Adrien let out a quiet laugh.

“As I’d hope you would if I ever did,” he said, sitting in Nino’s desk chair. “You’re a really great friend.”

When he held out his arms, Marinette crawled into them, laying her head on his shoulder as he brushed her bangs out of her eyes. The softness in his expression made her cheeks warm, especially when he traced her lips with his thumb, looking like he wanted to kiss her momentarily before he let his hand drop. She felt her pulse quicken as she relayed what he’d said earlier.

Adrien liked kissing her. That had to mean something, right? Could it really be that he was starting to fall for her, or was it just wishful thinking on her part?

“How long do you think we’ll have to keep this whole thing up?” She asked, and he drummed his fingers for a moment before shrugging.

“As long as we need to, I guess, or until you get tired of me,” he said. “If there’s someone else that you…I don’t ever want you to risk your happiness for me. I’d rather date Lila than do that to you.”

“There isn’t anyone else really…” She said, gazing out the window with a distant expression.

“That’s good. I was worried that I was keeping you from being with the person you loved,” he said, seeming to relax a little.

“Nah,” she murmured, face falling as her heart sank.

She could have told him right then. Because he was keeping her from being with the one she loved, and in turn, she was sacrificing her own happiness. She could have told him, but she didn’t want this to end. If this was all she was ever going to have then she’d savor every moment. After everything she was giving to him, she could afford a little selfishness, couldn’t she? It wasn’t like she could tell him that he was the very boy she loved with all her heart.

“So, what happens if we have to keep this up for a long time? Are you going to fake marry me too?” She teased to take her mind off things, and he laughed at that.

“If I have to…I wouldn’t mind it actually. I’d be happy with you,” he said, and she felt her heart skip.

“What about the girl you love? Isn’t there someone?” She asked, glancing up at him, and he stared up at the ceiling thoughtfully before a sad smile curled on his lips.

“It’s okay because she doesn’t love me back,” he said. “I’ve told her how I feel several times now, and she always rejects me. I’ve tried to move on a few times, but it’s just really hard when you love someone.”

“Yeah, I know how you feel,” she said, lowering her gaze with a sigh. Especially when you spend a lot of time making out with that very person.

“You remind me of her a little sometimes,” he admitted, glancing down at her with a smile. “You’re both kind and smart and always helping others.”

“She sounds really nice,” Marinette said, and he let out a sigh.

“She is, but I think deep down I know it’s not meant to be. I just…don’t want to accept it, but things are different now I guess since you and I are…doing this,” he said, gesturing to their current position cuddled together.

“Do you ever think you’ll fall in love with me since we’re so similar?” She asked with a smirk, and he let out a breathy laugh.

“You’re a good friend, but I guess…never say never.” He shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe we’ll both fall in love for real during all of this.”

“One minute, you two!” Alya knocked, and Marinette shifted to straddle him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“We should probably be kissing when she opens the door,” Marinette said, and Adrien nodded, pulling her in close and touching his lips to hers.

It was strange how much he’d wanted to. How disappointed he was when they didn’t. Kissing her made him feel so warm and safe, and yet so wired as if an electrical current were running through his veins. He couldn’t really describe it, but he knew he didn’t want it to end.

“Time’s up, you two!” Alya said, one short minute later. “Oh, wow.”

Adrien reluctantly retracted his tongue from her mouth, but not before brushing it against hers purposefully, sucking her lower lip hard before breaking away. They both panted lightly as Alya leaned against the door frame with a smirk.

“Well, looks like someone learned how to play,” she chuckled, and Adrien realized then how suggestive their current position was before Marinette crawled off his lap.

“He’s a fast learner,” she said, pulling him up and guiding him back out into the living room.

“Nino, we’re up again,” Alya said, beckoning him with a grin, and he jumped up from his seat, rushing after her.

Adrien flicked his gaze around at all of their friends chatting as if nothing had changed, but something in him felt different. The room felt too hot, and his heart threatened to beat out of his chest. When his eyes found Marinette again, his condition worsened, and he swallowed back the lump in his throat as that smile of hers returned to her lips as she struck up a conversation with Alix. She’d never looked more beautiful.

He closed his eyes hard to clear his head, breathing a heavy sigh before opening them again. His brain was probably just foggy from all the kissing, but he had to admit, Marinette’s lips were one hell of a drug, and he was starting to get addicted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gee, Adrien, I wonder why you like kissing Marinette so much? Couldn't have anything to do with the feelings you've developed but have failed to realize yet.   
So, I've been combining some stuff I had planned to make the chapters longer, but that does mean that I shaved off a couple chapters of this fic, so I think now it will have 8 chapters instead of 10, so this chapter is the halfway point! That's why it kind of seems like things are progressing a lot quicker, cause originally I had the party scene being a different chapter, but I decided to move it up into this one. Cause I got other plans for the remaining chapters. Next one in particular steps up Adrien's dumbass-ery. He's so close, yet so far. It's gonna hit him like a ton of bricks when he finally realizes.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

“_Has the Prince of Gabriel brand found his Princess? Exclusive interview inside!_”

Lila glared down at the magazine in her lap as she sat on her usual park bench waiting. On the cover was Adrien down on one knee fitting Marinette’s foot with a glass slipper. It seemed as though they were more committed to this lie than she originally thought, but she could use this to her advantage. The more people invested in their relationship, the harder they’d crash when they finally fell, and she couldn’t wait to watch.

_I: What’s your favorite quality about Marinette?_

_A: How kind she is. She’s always thinking of others before herself, and I admire that so much._

Lila could gag. All this pretending had to be eating Marinette up inside knowing that none of those things were true. That Adrien didn’t love her. Perhaps if she prodded her enough, Lila could get Marinette to snap. That would ruin any possible chance she had with him after this. Lila may have run into a detour with Marinette’s friends, but taking Adrien away from her permanently was worth the extra effort. That way there wouldn’t be anyone else to save her next time.

“There’s been a change of plans,” Gabriel’s voice sounded behind her. “Many people are quite pleased with my son’s relationship with Miss Dupain-Cheng, so I’m afraid that I cannot hold up our bargain.”

“Don’t worry. I have something else to offer you, Mr. Agreste,” Lila said. “I have reason to believe that Marinette and Adrien are faking their relationship.”

“And what evidence do you have to support such claims?” Gabriel asked, quirking a brow.

“I’m working on it, and I assure you I’ll be able to prove it if I attend the Agreste Foundation gala coming up soon,” she said with a sly smile.

“I’ll put you on the guest list, but I feel your suspicions may be a misguided cover up for your jealousy. If you cannot prove their relationship is a farce by the end of the gala, then perhaps it’s best if you and I cease negotiations,” Gabriel said, and Lila whipped around to face him.

“But-”

“I have no need for petty schoolyard drama especially at the expense of my son’s reputation. You have until the end of the gala in three weeks to prove your claims, Miss Rossi,” Gabriel said with a finality before rolling up the window.

As the car drove off, Lila’s jaw clenched, her hands gripping the magazine so tightly the sides crinkled between her fingers. She glanced down at the pages of her spread to find them overrun with Marinette and Adrien’s adoring smiles, the singular image of herself caught in the folds of the page. Rage boiled from her core up to her throat, and she tossed the magazine with a scream.

Gabriel wanted proof? She’d get him proof.

***

“Good evening, beautiful.”

Adrien smiled at Marinette as she entered his bedroom, seated at his piano while his fingers moved across the keys and filled the room with a soft melody. Nathalie stood off to the side to supervise, but Marinette found her attention drawn to the bouquet of roses resting atop the piano.

“They’re for you,” Adrien said, following her gaze, and she blinked, cheeks heating up.

“What for?” She asked, trailing her fingers over the petals.

“Do I need a reason?” He chuckled. “You deserve them, that’s why. You’re smart and kind, and you make me happy. That’s all the reason I need.”

She knew he was hamming it up because Nathalie was in the room, but she couldn’t help the smile on her lips. Fake or not, it was the first time anyone had given her flowers, and she had a feeling they carried a message of genuine gratitude for helping him as well.

“Thank you. They’re beautiful,” she said.

“They have tough competition.” He winked, his fingers trilling out a new melody, faster, lighter, sweeter than before, and Marinette bit her lip. “They’re also an invitation.”

“Oh?” Marinette quirked a brow.

“The Agreste Foundation has a formal event coming up soon, and I was hoping you’d be my date,” he said. “It’s a lot of boring adult stuff usually, but if you were there, it would be way more fun.”

“Of course, I’ll go with you,” she said, and Adrien relaxed a little, a content smile curling on his lips as he flicked his gaze back down to the keys. “I actually have an invitation for you too. My parents want to have you over for dinner one night when you’re free since you’re my first ever boyfriend.”

“Really?” Adrien stopped playing, his hands freezing on the keys as discordant notes squealed, and Nathalie cleared her throat, urging him to continue playing. “Sorry. Can you check my schedule, Nathalie?”

She scrolled through her tablet without looking up, the blue light reflecting off the lenses of her glasses.

“You have free time on Thursday after dinner, so I will let the chef know you will be dining elsewhere that evening,” she said, and Adrien perked up.

“Thank you, Nathalie!” He beamed, and Marinette offered her a small smile of thanks. Nathalie nodded in acknowledgement before flicking her gaze back to her tablet, and Adrien continued playing.

Marinette took a seat on the bench beside him, closing her eyes as the melody echoed around the room. Even if it wasn’t real, Marinette was happy getting to spend so much time with him. In a way, she felt like they were closer than they’d ever been, and most of her nerves had been squashed from the very first time they kissed. Knowing that Adrien felt comfortable enough with her to go through with all of this in the first place said enough about their relationship. Maybe there was hope for her after all.

She blinked her eyes open at the brush of skin against her own as Adrien reached an arm around her to play the keys at the end. He smiled at her as he trailed his fingers along, pulling her in closer, and she giggled as he nuzzled his nose against her cheek.

Moments like this made her wonder if his feelings would ever change. The softness in his eyes as he plucked a rose from the bouquet and offered it to her seemed so real, and the tender way he touched his lips to her cheek made her heart skip at the thought. She loved him so much, and more than anything, she wanted him to love her too. And why couldn’t she? There was no harm in wanting or hoping. In the end, she’d only hurt herself, so why not?

“You have five more minutes,” Nathalie said, and Adrien flicked his gaze back to the keys, seeming a little disappointed.

“I feel like time moves too quickly when I’m with you. I always find myself wishing we could have just a few more minutes,” he said as the song came to a close. “I don’t feel like a very good boyfriend.”

“I don’t mind. Whenever I get to see you and for however long, I treasure every moment,” she said, turning his chin to face her and cupping his cheek. “You’re an amazing boyfriend.”

“Yeah, I guess.” He frowned, leaning into her touch. “It’s just hard to say goodbye all the time.”

Marinette felt her cheeks warm under his gaze as Nathalie’s watch beeped, signaling the end of their visit. It was moments like these that made her head spin. He seemed so sincere that even she had a hard time figuring out if he was pretending or not.

“Thanks again for the roses,” she said at the front door, glancing down at them.

“A beautiful girl deserves beautiful things,” Adrien said with a smile before leaning down to kiss her good night.

One hand cupped her face, his thumb tenderly tracing her jaw as the other hand pulled her closer at the waist. It was a stark contrast to the way he had kissed her just a few nights prior at the party. He was so gentle and delicate as if she were a flower he didn’t want to damage, and such tender affections only made her heart beat faster.

“Good night, beautiful,” he murmured against her lips when they parted.

Gabriel watched from his office door, lips pursed as Adrien slid his hand down her arm, twining their fingers until they were forced apart as Marinette was escorted out, remembering similar such nights with Emilie all those years ago. He’d give anything for those nights now, and he envied Adrien a little for getting to spend time with the girl he loved so dearly. It made Emilie’s condition weigh so much heavier on his heart.

“Adrien is very sweet to her,” Nathalie said when she entered a few minutes later as Gabriel sat with his chin resting on his fist in thought. “I got what you asked for.”

Gabriel arched a brow as Nathalie presented him a small pink sketchbook, and he flipped through each page of colorful designs with a blank expression.

“Do you think you’ll have time to design her a dress and have it made before the gala?” Nathalie asked as Gabriel paused on a page, tapping his finger.

“It seems as though Miss Marinette already has the perfect dress,” he remarked, setting the notebook in his lap and snapping a picture with his phone.

“Will you modify it at all?” Nathalie asked as he closed the cover and offered it back to her.

“I don’t believe in tampering with another artist’s vision. The dress is fine as is, and it will mean more as a gesture of good faith in their relationship if we replicate it as she designed it,” Gabriel said. “See to it that Adrien returns her sketchbook.”

“Yes, sir.” Nathalie nodded before retreating from the room.

Adrien was in sitting at his desk when Nathalie peeked in, a content smile on his face as he typed on his phone. It had been a while since she’d seen him so happy. Not since Emilie was still around. His eyes lit up more these days, and his entire countenance changed any time Marinette was around. It was clear to see how much he cared for her. Just like Emilie, Adrien wore his emotions on his face, and Nathalie was glad to see him happy for once.

“Adrien?” She knocked.

“Come in.”

“I found this on the stairs. It must have fallen from Marinette’s bag,” she said. “Can you return it to her?”

“Of course. Thank you, Nathalie,” Adrien said, setting it next to his textbooks. “Also…would it be possible to finally go on a double date with my friends? I know you’re already making so many accommodations so Marinette can see me, but it would mean a lot to me if I could take her out properly.”

Nathalie observed his pleading expression before a smile broke over her lips.

“I’ll see what I can do,” she said before taking her leave.

Adrien sat back in his chair, drumming his fingers on the arms of the chair before a cheeky grin curled on his lips. He reached for his phone, snapping a picture of the notebook.

_guess what i have?_ He typed, chuckling to himself as he awaited her response.

_how??_ She replied a few seconds later.

_Nathalie found it on the stairs. it must have fallen out of your bag. ill give it to you tomorrow._ He said.

_Thanks!_

_but not before i look through it._ He said with a smiling devil emoji.

_no! some of them arent finished yet!_

_you’re so talented. I’m sure they’re all great._

Her reply was a worried face.

_can I peek? just a little?_

_ok but dont laugh!_ She said.

_why would I laugh?_

_some of them are old and silly…_

_like this one? _Adrien attached a drawing dated a couple years prior of a small Marinette in a dress with pink bows, and her response was a monkey covering its eyes.

_I think it’s cute! _He said with a heart.

_it’s embarrassing!_

_dont be embarrassed. everyone starts somewhere you should have seen me when I started taking fencing lessons for the first time. I barely knew how to put my helmet on._ He said then added, _you’re really talented. all of your new designs look amazing you’ve improved a lot._

_I guess… _She said with a sweat drop.

_well, I know. you’re incredible, and I’m lucky to have a girlfriend as awesome as you. _He said, watching her typing bubble.

_you’re pretty awesome too. You’re really smart and athletic and sweet and hot._

_I mean!_

_Objectively speaking_

_You’re a model so like_

_of course you’re hot_

_but it’s not like I’m really saying you’re hot_

_You are but_

_in a totally normal way!_

Adrien chuckled at her text stream, feeling oddly amused.

_Thanks. You’re pretty hot too. ;) _He said.

_I DIDNT MEAN IT LIKE THAT!_

_why not? I’m flattered._

_…_

_But I have a question though. _He said.

?

_Am I hotter than this?_ He sent a picture of a candle.

_why?_

_ya know. because flames are hot ;)_

_I’m breaking up with you._ She said with a laughing face.

_no don’t break up with me! I’m hot D:_

_all this time I thought you were cool… _She said.

_Well that was your first mistake im super lame._

_Youre not lame! just your jokes._

_wow! after I compliment your designs and you insult my jokes. that’s cold Marinette._

She sent a laughing face and heart in response.

_I would have been more impressed if you asked if I could bake cookies on you since youre so hot and my parents are bakers. _She said.

_teach me more oh wise and hilarious queen of jokes._

_fine. I guess ill train you. _She said with an eyeroll.

_I am honored_

She sent back another laughing face, and he bit his lip and changed the topic.

_this dress is really beautiful. _He said sending a picture.

_thanks! I got inspired after our photoshoot and wanted to design a princessy ballgown. I really like how it came out._

_I bet youd look beautiful in it_

Her typing bubble flashed for several minutes, disappearing every so often for a few seconds before returning.

_thanks. _She said finally.

_can I ask a favor? _He typed.

_what?_

_will you design something for me? It can be anything I just want it to be from you. _He asked.

_Of course! Id love to make something for you!_

_yay! :) _He paused for a moment before adding, _one more thing?_

_yes?_

_Can we keep talking for a while? You and I are friends but theres still a lot I don’t know about you. Plus it will be good for us to know stuff about each other._

He held his breath as he watched her typing bubble.

_sure. what do you wanna know?_

_everything :)_

They talked for hours during which time he learned that she liked gardening, watching makeup tutorials, and meditating with her mom. She was deathly afraid of snakes. She had a scar on her left foot from when she was 7, and she secretly liked to sneak fresh cookies when her dad wasn’t looking. It was the first time he’d really opened up to someone about himself too. He told her things even Nino didn’t know, and he fell asleep that night smiling at his phone.

The next morning, he sent her a good morning text and resumed their conversation as he prepared for the day. As it turned out, Marinette was not a morning person which he already assumed from the many times she came to school late. It was kind of amusing to picture – a sleepy Marinette clinging to her pillow as she begged for a few more minutes. Incredibly cute.

At school, he peeked around the row of lockers, watching her smile down at his most recent text as she typed a reply. The fondness in her expression made his heart flutter, and he jumped a little as his phone buzzed.

_are you going to hold my sketchbook hostage all day? where are you? _She asked.

_turn around. _He said, and he crept up behind her as she read the message.

“Boo!” He pinched her sides, and she startled with a gasp, spinning around to face him.

“Oh, you finally showed up,” she said with a grin, cheeks pink from his prank. “Do you have my sketchbook?”

“Oh, was I supposed to bring that?” He tilted his head to the side before retrieving it from his bag with a smirk. “Returned safe and sound.”

“Thank you,” she giggled as he kissed it softly before handing it over.

“I wrote you something inside,” he said, leaning down to kiss her cheek. “You mean so much to me I wanted to express it, so read it later when you get home, okay?”

“O-Okay!”

“Nino, remind me to call my dentist. I think I’m getting a cavity from sugar overload,” Alya called out as they approached. “You two are seriously cute.”

“Yeah, bro, you make me look bad,” Nino said, fist bumping Adrien.

“Sorry, but I have good news,” Adrien said. “Nathalie is clearing my schedule Saturday afternoon so we can all go on a date finally.”

“Whoa, legit? That’s awesome, dude!” Nino patted his shoulder.

“We can all go do an escape room together then get ice cream afterward,” Alya said, clapping her hands together. “We’ve been dying to go do one, but it’s way more fun with more people.”

“Yeah, sounds awesome,” Adrien said. “It’s our first official date. I can’t wait.”

“Only took your pops a month to let up.” Nino rolled his eyes, and Adrien sighed.

“Honestly, that’s quicker than I thought he would. I thought we’d have to wait until I turned 18 and moved out,” Adrien joked as they headed to class.

Lila glared around the row of lockers as they left, jaw clenching. She was losing momentum trying to prove their façade. The longer this went on, the more confident they were becoming, and the easier it was to fake it. She’d have to find some dirt on them during their date, or else the gala would be her last shot at getting favors from Gabriel.

***

“Is all of this really necessary?” Marinette asked as her father set the table.

“We’re having your first boyfriend over for dinner. I’m just trying to make sure he feels welcome,” Tom said, placing oven mitt-covered hands on his hips.

“By fattening him up? You’ve made enough food for 10 people!” Marinette gestured to the large ham and numerous sides covering the table.

“He’s a growing boy, and if he wants to date a baker’s daughter then he must know how to eat,” Roland added.

“Not to mention she’s part Italian. He will have to get used to big meals with family if he wants to stay,” Gina said, pinching Marinette’s cheek.

“Just promise me you guys will be cool. Don’t embarrass me,” Marinette pleaded, and Sabine flashed her a reassuring smile.

“We’re all just excited for you, sweetie. Adrien is a nice young man, and we just want him to know he’s accepted here,” her mother said, cupping her cheek.

“We will show him what a _real_ family dinner looks like. Not the quiet lonesome dinners he gets at home. That’s not how it’s done!” Roland crossed his arms over his chest.

“Just don’t show him my baby pictures. Please?” Marinette pressed her palms together as the doorbell sounded.

“He’s here! Go let him in, my fairy,” Gina urged, and Marinette took a deep breath before opening the door.

“Hey.” Adrien smiled, leaning in to kiss her cheeks and planting a soft kiss on her nose before holding up another bouquet. “I brought you these.”

“Oh, how romantic. What a sweet boy,” Gina cooed, and Marinette screwed on a smile despite the tension in her spine.

“Adrien, you’ve met my grandma,” Marinette said. “This is my grandfather.”

“A pleasure to meet you, sir,” Adrien said, shaking his hand.

“A firm handshake. Very good, the boy knows how it’s done. I’m glad to see a younger generation keeping up tradition. You will make a fine husband to Marinette,” Roland commented.

“Grandpa!” Marinette puffed her cheeks.

“Roland, they’re only 14,” Sabine said pointedly.

“Puh, ‘only 14.’ My grandparents were 16 when they married. They wanted to marry before my grandfather had to go fight in the war!” Roland said, and Marinette sighed as she retrieved a vase for her bouquet.

“Oh, why rush to settle down? Let them live a little,” Gina said with an eye roll.

“Mom’s right. They can get married when they’re ready,” Tom added as they sat down, and Marinette’s face fell into her hand.

Adrien eyed her, a small smile curling on his lips.

“I’d only marry Marinette if I truly make her happy. She’s a wonderful girl, and she deserves the best,” he said, and everyone in the room cooed in unison, clutching their hearts.

Marinette peeked out between her fingers, and Adrien shot her a wink.

“So, tell us more about you, dear. What does Adrien like to do?” Gina prompted as Tom served the first course.

“Well, I’m a model for my father’s fashion company. I play sports and piano, and I’ve also been taking Chinese lessons since I was little,” Adrien listed.

“My, my so busy,” Gina remarked.

“What sports do you play?” Roland asked.

“Mainly fencing, but also basketball, lacrosse, and karate,” he said, counting them on his fingers.

“How do you ever find time to spend with Marinette?” Roland’s eyebrows raised, and Adrien cast her a fond smile.

“I make time. She’s so important to me.” He placed a hand over hers.

“With how sweet you are, we may not even need dessert,” Gina said with a laugh.

“Marinette is very easy to be with. She’s so genuine and caring, all I want to do is make her smile.” Adrien batted his eyelashes at her, and she bit back a smirk, pushing his chin with her finger.

“You are such a schmooze,” she teased.

“Well, I’m glad to see my granddaughter has chosen such a fine young man to court,” Roland said. “Your children will be very successful. I can feel it.”

“Roland, they’re only in college,” Sabine chided.

“You and I met in college. Don’t you remember, dear?” Tom said, wrapping an arm around her. “I knew the moment I laid eyes on you that I wanted to marry you someday. I’m sure it’s the same for Marinette and Adrien.”

“Dad!” Marinette growled.

“Tom.” Sabine gave him a warning look.

“That’s for them to decide in a few years, I know.” He held up defensive hands.

“Oh, what’s the rush. Not everyone has to settle down so young. I think they should travel a bit while they can,” Gina said. “If you two are still together when you’re 18 and no longer under papa’s radar then I will take you both on a trip! Greece is so beautiful in the summer, ah, who am I kidding? It is gorgeous all year. You kids need to see the world.”

“That sounds fun. I’d love to travel,” Adrien said, and Gina nodded knowingly.

“Of course, you would, dear. The world is a big place. I’d offer to take you sooner, but I understand your papa is…strict.” She winced, and Adrien quirked a brow as if to say that was an understatement. “Marinette and I are going to Italy for her next birthday. I’m so excited for you to see my home, my fairy.”

“I can’t wait either, grandma,” Marinette reached out to take her hand.

“Your dad won’t let you travel, but maybe he’ll let you come spend Christmas with us this year. We always pass out yule logs down in the bakery before we have a big Christmas dinner,” Tom said.

“I’d like that a lot.” Adrien smiled.

“When is your next fencing tournament? Maybe we’ll take a little time off to come watch you,” Sabine offered.

“In 2 weeks, but you don’t have to do that. I’m sure you’re very busy.” Adrien held up cautioning hands.

“Nonsense. We always have time to support family.” Tom patted his shoulder.

“Oh! I have a friend in London who is a great pianist. I can introduce you to him. Maybe he can give you some pointers,” Gina added.

“Uh, yeah, sure. Thanks, Mrs. Dupain.”

“So formal. Call me Grandma or Nonna,” Gina insisted, waving it away.

“When you have time, you and Marinette should come by my house. I can teach you how to make bread the old-fashioned way,” Roland said.

“Oh, yeah. Thank you.” Marinette eyed Adrien who seemed to curl into himself. “You’re all so kind. Thank you for inviting me into your home.”

“But of course, my fairy. You are our family now,” Gina said as Roland cut him a slice of bread.

Adrien eyed it on his plate in silence as the conversation shifted, and after a moment, Marinette reached out to place a hand over his. He jumped a little at her touch, flicking his gaze to hers. She raised a brow at him, and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before turning back to his meal.

He was perfectly polite during dinner, and to Marinette’s relief, a surprisingly good sport amidst all of the marriage discussions. But Marinette could tell something was off. The slight intonation of his voice, the way his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes…He seemed sad almost, but he did what he always did: hid it until they were alone.

“I’ll bring the hot chocolate up when it’s ready,” Sabine called as Marinette and Adrien headed up the stairs to her room.

Adrien remained quiet as he climbed up to her balcony, leaning against the railing with a sigh.

“Sorry. I know they’re a lot to deal with,” she said, awkwardly shoving her hands into her pockets.

“Actually, I really liked it,” he said, staring out over the street. “This was the warmest and most inviting dinner I’ve ever had.”

“Then what’s wrong?” She asked, and he trained those tortured eyes on her. “Hey-”

“I can’t do this.” He shook his head. “Your family is so kind and loving, and they care about you. They want to take me on trips and come to my fencing tournaments. Your dad wants me to spend Christmas with you! All because they believe we’re in love. Doesn’t it drive you mad?”

Marinette averted her gaze, and he ran a hand through his hair.

“I’m sorry, but I just can’t do this. They were so kind to me, and all I’ve ever done is lie about loving you,” he said, pressing his lips together. “They’ll be devastated when they find out, and I don’t want to hurt them.”

“Adrien…” Marinette started, pacing over to him. “I know the risks of all of this, and I made my mind up when I decided to help you. From the very first time we kissed in front of everyone, I committed to this.”

“Yeah, but-”

“But nothing,” she said, cupping his face in her hand. “I agreed to this because I wanted to help you. Because…I care about you.”

“Marinette…” He winced. “You’re important to me too. That’s why I can’t hurt the people you love.”

“Who says you’re going to?” She held her arms out. “In a few months when things die down, we can announce that we broke up mutually and that there are no hard feelings then continue being friends. No one ever has to know.”

Adrien searched her expression before lowering his gaze to his shoes with a sigh.

“I really don’t deserve a friend like you,” he said with a short laugh. “You really are amazing, Marinette, and I hope you know how much you mean to me.”

She pulled him in for a tight hug, and he leaned into her embrace. In that moment, he felt so fragile, and she wished that she could take all of that hurt. It was hard enough living with her own pain, but somehow knowing Adrien cared for her this much hurt worse. That he would rather be unhappy than hurt her or her family. She was falling more in love with him the longer this went on, and she knew that it would destroy her in the end. But she didn’t care. If she could alleviate his torment even for a little while, she’d do it in a heartbeat.

“I have Gina’s world-famous hot chocolate- oh!” Sabine paused in the window upon seeing their pained embrace. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, sorry,” Adrien said, pulling away and running a hand across his cheek. “I just got emotional. You’ve all been so wonderful and inviting, and I’m not used to that.”

“Oh, honey,” Sabine said, setting the tray on the table and cupping his face. “No matter your circumstances, you are always loved here.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng. I’ve had a wonderful time here tonight,” he said with a genuine smile.

“I’m glad to hear it. My husband and in-laws can be…a lot to handle,” Sabine said with an apologetic wince.

“It’s okay. I know they’re just happy for us,” Adrien said, wrapping an arm around Marinette’s waist, and Sabine smiled.

“Enjoy the hot chocolate, you two. It’s a pretty night out,” she said before climbing back down.

“Thank you,” Adrien said once her footsteps faded. “I feel like I don’t say that to you enough.”

“You’re my friend, Adrien. I’ve got your back,” Marinette said, and Adrien smiled, leaning in to place a kiss on her cheek.

“Thank you,” he repeated softly, and Marinette’s face warmed.

“You’re welcome,” she said, passing him a mug.

“To friendship,” he declared, holding it up, and Marinette eyed him a moment before clanking her mug against his.

“To friendship.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I put off uploading this until after Chat Blanc cause I felt like we'd all need it. The end of this one is a little sad, but next chapter will be super cute! I told a couple of you that it would be this chapter, but it's next chapter! The Adrien obliviousness reaches over 9000, but then the next chapter he figures it out. I will say that at this point, all of his compliments to her are genuine and he's already in love even if he doesn't quite realize it. But next chapter! Next chapter is gonna have it all. Smooches, fluff, Adrien being the sweetest and most oblivious dork, Lila getting absolutely wrecked (the first time), Adrien being 100% fucking floored by Marinette, and much, much more. I'm unsure when I will get it written because I want to finish the next chapter of Kill Em With Kindness tomorrow then I'm gonna throw myself into the first chapter of my Dogrien/Rewrite AU cause I want to post it after Felix airs next week cause s3 will be officially over. So it will probably be after that.   
Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Only a few chapters left of this one! I'm unsure if I will make it to 8 chapters. I may combine what I had planned for chapters 7 and 8 into one big finale, so next chapter may be second to last. Idk yet and won't until I go to write chapter 7. But either way the ending will be very cute and satisfying. Lila gets destroyed. Adrinette happens. All of the important things.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

“It was a lot of fun going on a double date with you guys,” Alya said as the two waited for Adrien and Nino to return with their ice cream. “It’s so great that you two are finally getting to go on a proper date. It’s awesome that you’re together and all, but it’s not the same if you barely get to spend time together.”

“Uh, yeah. It’s hard, but Nathalie has been making a lot of extra arrangements in his schedule for us, so I guess that’s nice,” Marinette said, flicking her gaze to her lap. “I’m just really happy to be with him, so I try not to complain.”

“I know, and I’m sure you guys will work through it. I mean, seeing the way he looks at you…I can tell he really cares about you,” Alya said with a smile that made Marinette’s cheeks warm.

“Does he really look at me like that?” She asked, biting her lip.

“Girl, he looks at you the way my dad looked at my mom in all their wedding photos. He’s so smitten with you. It’s honestly precious,” Alya chuckled. “I have a feeling you two are gonna last. No matter what.”

“Ice cream for two pretty ladies,” Nino said as he and Adrien paced down the steps.

Marinette locked eyes with Adrien who offered her one of those soft smiles that made her heart race as he took his place beside her. Those smiles had often seemed so genuine to her, but she’d always chocked it up to wishful thinking. Though as of late, his affectionate behavior came with less hesitance or stiffness perhaps because they’d finally gotten used to this whole fake relationship. She really doubted that he felt any differently about her now then he had at the beginning but hearing Alya say that it looked like he liked her did make her a little happy.

“Hope you like peach and pistachio,” Adrien said, scooping a spoonful for her.

“Yum.” She smiled before taking a bite.

Adrien draped an arm over her shoulders as they shared their treat, and Marinette noticed that soft look in his eyes that Alya mentioned. She knew Adrien was a good actor, but it did look awfully convincing.

“Can I tell you something?” Adrien asked, licking ice cream from his spoon.

“What?”

“You’re cute,” he said with a smile, and she shot him a playful glare.

“_You’re_ cute,” she shot back, but he shook his head.

“No, _you’re_ cute.” He nuzzled his nose against hers.

“And I’m trying to enjoy my ice cream without getting nauseous,” Nino said, and Alya elbowed him with a smirk.

“How come you never tell me _I’m_ cute?” She asked, placing a hand on her hip, and he faltered a little at that.

“I-well, I mean, you’re cute!” He stammered, and Alya leaned her head back with a laugh before resting against his shoulder.

“You’re cute too. Now leave them alone. It’s their first real date,” she said, shoving a tiny spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.

“Sorry, I just can’t help myself around Marinette,” Adrien said, flashing his friend a grin before turning back to her. “She’s my Cinderella.”

“And you’re my Prince Charming,” Marinette said, leaning up to touch her lips to his just before his phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket with a sigh.

“It’s Gorilla. I didn’t realize it was already 9,” he said, offering her the last bite of the cone. “It seems that we’re turning into pumpkins early tonight, my love.”

“I’m just glad we got to come out,” Marinette said as he stood and offered her his hands to pull her up.

“Yeah, whenever you can, we should all go out together like this again,” Nino said, and Adrien smiled, touching their fists together.

“I’ll beg Nathalie,” he said, offering Alya a small wave before taking Marinette’s hand.

“Bye, you two!” Alya waved, flashing Marinette a smile as they headed up the stairs to meet Adrien’s bodyguard.

Adrien opened the door of the car for her and helped her in before moving around to the other side. Once inside, he slid into the middle and buckled his seatbelt before draping an arm around her as Gorilla started the car. He leaned down to kiss her cheek, lingering close with a contented sigh

“Tonight was fun,” Adrien said pressing his forehead to hers, soft lips brushing gently against her own as he spoke. “I want to have more nights like this.”

“Where you get to hang out with your friends?” Marinette asked.

“Where I get to hang out with you,” he said, and she felt her heart jolt.

“What about Nino? He’s your best friend,” she said as he caressed her cheek with his thumb, tilting his head ever-so-slightly.

“He is, but I don’t think Alya would appreciate it if I kissed him,” he said pointedly.

“I’m starting to think you only like me for my lips.” She narrowed her eyes with a playful smirk, and Adrien let out a breathy laugh.

“I like you for a lot more than that,” he said, touching his nose to hers. “I like how genuinely sweet you are. The way your eyes light up when you’re happy, or the way your eyebrows furrow when you can’t figure out a problem for our maths homework. The cute way your purse your lips when you can’t make up your mind, or the sound of your laugh. I like a lot of things about you, Marinette.”

He gave her another one of those soft looks, and for a moment, she swore it actually seemed real. She didn’t doubt that he meant all of those things in some capacity platonically, but such sweet sentiments weren’t really hers to claim. After all, they weren’t exactly alone in the car. Adrien’s bodyguard might not say much, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t listen in. It only made sense for Adrien to play the part of the doting boyfriend considering they were on their way home from a first date, and she supposed that it was her turn to play the flirtatious girlfriend fueled by an intimate evening with said doting boyfriend.

“You just want me to kiss you,” she said, brushing his nose with her finger.

“Fine. You caught me,” he sighed, leaning in close again. “But for the record, I always want to kiss you…if you want to.”

“I want to,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck, and she felt his lips curl into a smile before closing around her own.

Acting or not, she wouldn’t complain about getting to kiss Adrien for the duration of the car ride to her house. Especially not when he cupped her jaw in one hand, pulling her in closer at the waist with the other. His lips were gentle and soft, and she felt that blissful numbness clouding her mind. If fake kissing him felt this good, she could only imagine what it would feel like to kiss him for real. To kiss him knowing that he loved her back.

Maybe Alya was right. Maybe Adrien was falling for her, and maybe she really was one step closer to her happily ever after. She seemed to think so as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss, twisting strands of her hair around his fingers as his lips met hers with eagerness every time, and she considered for a moment that maybe Adrien genuinely did want to kiss her. The thought made her heart skip, and she quickly dismissed it for fear of the lasting damage of heart palpitations.

It was all just acting. Really, really _good_ acting. And a delightful amount of tongue. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to having him kiss her like this, but she’d certainly enjoy it all the same. Of course, he was far gentler now than he had been the night of Nino’s party, but the passion behind his lips was all the same. And it still made her just as dizzy.

“There’s never enough time left when I kiss you,” Adrien sighed, and Marinette realized that the car had stopped again. “I’ll walk you to your door.”

Marinette blinked a few times as Adrien unbuckled his seatbelt before swiftly doing the same. No matter how many times they made out, she still found herself disoriented for several minutes afterward, and she was grateful that at least in this instance, she was heading up to her room immediately after.

Adrien walked her all the way up to the living room door, pausing outside with a timid smile.

“I really did have an amazing time tonight, and I’m glad that you’re the girl I’m getting to experience all of this with first,” Adrien said, taking her hands in his. “Thank you, for everything.”

“I’m really glad that I’m getting to do this with you too, Adrien,” she said, and his face softened again before he pulled her in for a tight hug.

“I don’t wanna let go,” he murmured against her shoulder, nuzzling into her neck before reluctantly pulling away. “Good night, Cinderella.”

“Good night, my prince.”

***

_Come over. I have a surprise for you._

Marinette read over the message again as she stood outside the Agreste mansion gates, patiently waiting for them to open. The small security camera popped out, examining her briefly before the gates parted in front of her, and she headed inside. Adrien was waiting at the door with a huge grin as she made her way up, and he stooped to kiss her in greeting.

“Come in, Marinette. Mr. Agreste would like to see you,” Nathalie said, interrupting their moment, but Adrien perked up with a suspicious giddiness that piqued Marinette’s curiosity.

“What’s this all about?” She asked as they paced across the foyer, and Adrien shot her a knowing smirk.

“You’ll see,” he said as Nathalie opened the door to Mr. Agreste’s office.

Her stomach churned with nerves, but she told herself that if Adrien was smiling then it couldn’t be anything bad. Maybe he’d told them about Lila and gotten her permanently kicked off of their photoshoots. That would make her happy.

“Good afternoon, Marinette,” Gabriel said without looking up from his screen when they entered. “Please, have a seat.”

“Okay…” Marinette said, curling her shoulders a little and sitting awkwardly beside Adrien.

“As I’m sure you’re aware, the Agreste Foundation gala is coming up in a week,” he said, and Marinette sat up a little.

“Yes, my mom and I were going to pick out a dress tomorrow,” she said, and Adrien smirked beside her.

“That won’t be necessary,” Nathalie said, and Marinette turned to her with furrowed brows.

“Oh, am I not going anymore?” She shot Adrien a worried look, and he took her hands in his.

“Of course you are,” he assured her, pressing a kiss to the back of her knuckles.

“If you are going to attend the gala with a fashion mogul’s son then you have to look the part, so I’ve had a gift made for you. I’m sure you’ll find its design quite familiar,” Gabriel said, motioning for Nathalie to remove the sheet from a mannequin at the front of the room, and Marinette felt her breath hitch in her throat.

“That’s-” She gasped, shooting up and pacing over get a closer look. “That’s _my_ design?”

“Nathalie showed it to me when you left your sketchbook here, and I thought what better way to support my son and his budding romance than bringing your dreams to life,” Gabriel explained, clasping his hands behind his back. “Your designs show a lot of promise, Marinette, and I felt it best that you attend the gala in something of yours rather than something of mine.”

“But I- this is- I get to wear this?” She stammered, and Adrien suppressed a chuckle, jumping up to stand beside her.

“Yep. It’s a Marinette original,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist as she cupped a hand to her mouth. “Do you like it?”

She flicked her gaze between him, Gabriel, Nathalie, the dress. Her eyes stung with tears, and her throat closed with a dry lump. She wasn’t sure words existed to describe how she felt, so she simply nodded before turning to bury her face in Adrien’s shirt.

“Thank you,” she finally managed, and Gabriel nodded in acknowledgement.

“Nathalie will help you try it on so that we can have it properly fitted. Someone will delivered it to your house this week once it’s finished,” he said, and Marinette flicked her gaze over to Nathalie who gestured for her to follow.

“I wanna see you in it,” Adrien requested, but Nathalie held up a hand to stop him.

“You’ll see it at the gala. Right now you should go practice your piano,” Nathalie stated, her tone leaving no room for argument, so Adrien deflated a little, shooting Marinette a longing look.

“I’ll be in my room then,” he said, pursing his lips. “Can Marinette hang out for a while when you’re finished at least?”

“I suppose.” Nathalie nodded, and he smiled at that.

“Then I’ll see you in a bit, kay?” He blew her a kiss before retreating up the stairs, and Nathalie ushered her into the dining room.

It felt a little surreal putting that dress on, and she half expected herself to wake up before she could get a look in the mirror. She could hardly believe that Gabriel had actually made one of her designs. When she’d designed this dress, she never actually intended for it to exist. It was just a dream. A fantasy. A fairytale.

But she supposed that nothing was outside the realm of possibility in her life anymore. After all, she was fake dating the boy of her dreams to keep him out of the clutches of an evil witch, so she supposed every princess story such as her own came with a fairytale makeover.

“Adrien talks about you a lot as of late,” Nathalie said as she pinned her up. “He’s always requesting that I make time for him to see you. He really cares for you.”

“Oh.” Marinette’s cheeks burned at that. “I- thank you for always making arrangements for us.”

“I’ve known Adrien since he was born, and working for Gabriel, I watched him grow up,” she said. “I know he’s always wanted freedom to do what he wants, so I try to allot him as much as I can.”

“Is that why you talked his father into letting him come to school?” Marinette asked, and Nathalie lowered her gaze with a small smile.

“He was always miserable being cooped up in this house. After his mother disappeared, he stopped smiling for a long time, so I hoped that if he was allowed to go to school like he’d always wanted that it would cheer him up,” she said softly. “I’d say that so far it’s been a success.”

“You really care about him,” Marinette said, feeling her heart sink with a twinge of guilt.

“I’ve never had any children of my own. I guess you could say I’ve always been married to my work, but the Agrestes are family to me,” Nathalie said, sticking the last pin in the skirt. “Adrien took the loss of his mother very hard, and I’m the next female he’s close to, so I try to be there for him as much as I can.”

“You’re really kind, Nathalie,” Marinette said with a smile that Nathalie returned.

“Adrien says the same about you,” she said before moving around to help her out of the dress again. “It’s nice to see his face light up whenever he sees you. I’m glad he’s found someone that can make him happy.”

“Yeah…” Marinette lowered her gaze before stepping out of the dress and changing back into her regular clothes. “Thank you, Nathalie.”

“Thank you, Marinette,” Nathalie said with a smile. “Please continue to make Adrien happy for a long time.”

Adrien was practicing arpeggios when she entered his room, and he smiled up at her as she approached him, pausing his playing briefly as she sat beside him.

“How did it fit?” He asked, switching to a soft tune.

“Fine. It didn’t need very many alterations. Your father has a good eye for measurements,” she said, pressing her palms between her knees. “I kind of know how you felt at dinner with my family now.”

“What do you mean?” Adrien tilted his head, and she lowered her gaze with a frown.

“Nathalie really cares about you, and your father gave us his blessing…It just makes it kind of hard to lie to their faces when they’re so kind and supportive,” she said, and he turned back to the piano.

“Yeah, but it’s like you said. They never have to know it’s not real,” he said, bouncing from one melody to the next. “We should probably be careful talking about it though. They like to watch me closely, and we don’t want them to overhear anything that could give us away.”

“Lila would have a field day if the truth got out,” Marinette said with a sigh. “And we don’t want that happening.”

“No.” Adrien pressed his lips into a firm line, and Marinette drummed her fingers on her legs and pursed her lips.

“So, I’ve never been to a fancy event like this before. What do I need to do? Will there be dancing? Are there going to be photographers?” She asked.

“It’s mostly just to appease my father’s investors and clients. He throws them a fancy party, and they talk business. It’s usually pretty boring for me, but at least with you going I’ll have someone to talk to,” he said. “And I won’t have to dance with any stuck-up girls.”

“Oh, I didn’t know Chloe was coming,” Marinette said with a smirk, and Adrien threw his head back with a laugh.

“Thankfully not.” He shuddered a little, and Marinette pressed a hand to her lips to stifle a laugh.

“I’m not so sure I’m really a step up. You’ll be lucky if I don’t step on your feet,” she said, biting her lip, and Adrien quirked a brow at her.

“We’ve danced before, and you were fine,” he said pointedly, and she averted her gaze.

“Lucky, as I said.” He paused his playing and turned to her.

“Do you want to practice?” He asked, and she shrugged her shoulders.

“I dunno, Adrien, I don’t want to hurt your feet,” she said, and he offered her a hand.

“Dance with me,” he pleaded, sticking out his lower lip. “Please?”

“Don’t you have to practice your piano?” She tapped a key, and he flashed her a smirk then reached for his phone.

“I do this all the time,” he said, queuing up a playlist of recordings. “I record myself sometimes so I can goof off every once in a while.”

“Won’t you get in trouble if Nathalie comes in?” He flicked his gaze up to her with one of those smiles.

“I think you’re worth a light scolding,” he said, setting his phone in the speaker dock and offering her a hand again. “May I have this dance?”

“I suppose,” she sighed, allowing him to pull her to her feet.

“You’ll be fine,” he said, pinching her sides as he pulled her in close. “Just follow my lead.”

Marinette took a breath as they waltzed in circles, those green eyes burning into hers with a gentleness that made her forget her nerves. Why did he have to be so sweet and charming all the time? If she didn’t love him so much, she’d hate him, but she couldn’t even fathom someone hating Adrien. He was just too kind and genuine of a person to hate.

“See? You’re doing fine,” he said softly, and her cheeks warmed as she smiled down at her feet.

See? Her point exactly.

“I guess you’re just good enough of a dancer to cancel out how clumsy I am,” she said, biting her lip.

“You’re just so fun and easy to be with that I stay relaxed. I don’t have to worry about anything when I’m with you,” he said, and her face burned hotter, effectively frying her brain into missing a step and landing her foot right on top of his.

“Sorry!” She jumped back, curling her shoulders. “I told you!”

“Hey, you’re fine.” Adrien pulled her back in and cupped her face. “No harm, no foul. Just relax.”

He pulled her into his arms, opting just to sway in time with the music, and she nuzzled against his shoulder, taking the opportunity to breath in as much of his scent as she could without him noticing. Relaxing around him a few months ago would have been an impossible task, but as he held her close, rubbing her back with his thumb, she felt the tension in her shoulders ease as she melted into him. He didn’t seem to mind, in fact, he welcomed it, tightening his grip around her waist as they circled in place.

“If all else fails we can just do this,” he said in her ear with a breathy laugh.

“I think I like this better,” she said, lifting her head to look up at him, and he touched his forehead to hers.

“I do enjoy being close to you,” he said, and she leaned against his shoulder again with a content smile.

“Can I ask you something?” She said, and he flicked his gaze down to her. “Nathalie told me that she wants me to make you happy for a long time, so how long do you think you’ll stay with me like this?”

“Hmm,” he hummed before shrugging. “I told you before that we would keep this up as long as we had to.”

“I know, but it’s been almost two months now, and we haven’t even considered stopping,” she said, and he seemed to consider that for a moment.

“Do you want to stop?” He asked.

“No, I’m not saying that, but I just- you’re probably getting tired of me I bet.” She lowered her gaze, and he stopped dancing, stepping back slightly to cup his hands to her cheeks.

“I’m not tired of you,” he said, eyebrows knitted together. “I’m really happy that I’m getting to spend so much time with you because I’ve always wanted to.”

“You have?” She blinked, and he squished her cheeks together.

“Of course. You’re only like the coolest girl in class. Everybody loves you, and you’re super talented and awesome. Why wouldn’t I want to be your close friend?” He chuckled. “I was just too shy to really approach you, and you never really approached me either, so I thought that maybe you weren’t interested in being closer than we were.”

“That’s not it at all!” She stepped forward, pulling his hands away from her face. “I just thought you were really cool, and I was too scared that you wouldn’t want to hang out with me.”

“Wait, really?” He seemed surprised by this fact, a small grin curling on his lips. “So, all this time we could have been really good friends, but we were both just too scared to ask each other?”

They held each other’s gazes for a moment in stunned silence before they broke down laughing, and he picked her up and spun her around.

“Why would you think I’m cool though?” He asked, setting her back on her feet. “I’m so lame.”

“Adrien Agreste, you’re cool.” She placed her hands on her hips, and he scoffed.

“I’m not cool.”

“You are cool.”

“So not cool.” He shook his head, and she shot him a scolding glare. “But I am hot.”

She covered her face with one hand and sighed.

“I’m gonna step on your foot on purpose at the gala,” she teased.

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” he shot back.

“Okay, you know what-” She crossed her arms over her chest, and his shoulders shook with laughter. “I’m gonna break up with you.”

“No, I take it back. Don’t leave me!” He pouted, tugging her back into his arms. “Stay with me.”

“For how long?” She asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Forever,” he said, and she rested her chin on his chest.

“Forever?” She cocked a brow. “So we are going to get fake married then?”

“We’ll have a fake wedding and everything.”

“Are we going to have fake kids too?” She laughed as he laced their fingers together.

“Maybe,” he said then waggling his eyebrows added, “or we could have real kids and live a happy domestic life together.”

“You think you could stand me for that long?” She said, tilting her head to hide the flush of her cheeks.

“Definitely. You’re the cool one, remember? I’m just the hot one,” he said, and she glared back up at him, prompting a cheesy grin. “Can I be your trophy husband after you become a world-famous fashion designer?”

“I’ll think about it,” she said, and he leaned into her face.

“Please?” He kissed her cheek, and she stepped back with a giggle, prompting him to follow, peppering her cheeks with more kisses.

“You’re gonna marry someone way prettier and smarter than me,” she said finally, and he gave her a skeptical look.

“I’m not sure such a girl exists,” he said, shaking his head.

“Don’t sass me.” She pinched his side.

“I’m not sassing you. You’re really pretty and smart, and I would happily be your trophy husband,” he said, holding a hand over his chest, and she rocked back on her heels.

“I suppose I could allow it. You are hot,” she said, pursing her lips. “And also really funny and sweet.”

He smiled at that, leaning down to kiss her softly.

“Then I guess it’s settled. We’re gonna be together forever,” he said, touching his nose to hers. “Sorry, but you’re stuck with me.”

“Darn,” she sighed, and he let out a breathy laugh.

“Whatever ends up happening between us for real, I hope that we stay friends when all of this is over,” he said, and she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck.

“Of course we will. You don’t have to worry about that,” she said, and his face softened with relief.

“I’m glad. You’re someone I don’t ever want to lose, Marinette,” he whispered, and she bit back a smile.

“Yeah. Me too.”

***

Marinette stared across her bedroom at the poofy pink dress. She still couldn’t believe Gabriel had her design made! And she was going to wear it to an official Agreste Foundation gala tomorrow. Every time she looked at it, she felt a surge of pride, but it was almost immediately followed by guilt.

Gabriel had gifted her this dress as a sign of good faith in her relationship with Adrien. Her _fake_ relationship. She told herself that no one ever had to know it was fake, but to receive such a gift under false pretenses made her feel a bit…wrong. Like she was using them even if she knew she wasn’t.

She leaned back in her chair with a sigh. In actuality, if she thought about it, Adrien was the one using her to get out of dating Lila, so one could argue that she deserved such a gift as payment, but she didn’t like thinking like that. She wasn’t helping Adrien to get something out of it herself. Sure, she didn’t want Lila to get a hold of him, but that was less out of jealousy and more out of concern for his well-being. She really did want to help him, whether or not he fell for her in the end. It would be _nice_, but she was happy just to help him. Besides, this whole experience had brought them closer, so even after it was over, talking to him like a normal human being should be a breeze considering his entire tongue had been in her mouth on several occasions.

When her phone buzzed on her desk, she swiveled around to read the message, a small smile curling on her lips. Speak of the devil.

_Hey cutie can you chat? I want you to hear something…_

_im in my pjs lol _she responded

_haha that’s fine._ He said then a moment later, a video call request flashed on her screen.

“Don’t judge me,” she said when she answered.

“Why would I judge you?” He tilted his head to the side, and she gestured to her pajama and messy hair situation happening. “You look cute, as always.”

She gave him a look before setting her phone on a stack of books and resting her chin on her fist.

“What was it you wanted me to listen to?” She asked, and he perked up.

“Well, I may have kind of wrote you a song,” he said, biting his lip.

“A song?” Her eyebrows raised.

“It’s not finished yet, but I dunno. I sat down to practice yesterday, and I was just thinking about everything you’re doing for me, so I wanted to express my gratitude somehow…” He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“As if your father making me a dress I designed isn’t payment enough?” She said pointedly, and he let out a breathy laugh.

“Well, that was a gift from my father that I had nothing to do with. This is something straight from my heart,” he said, placing a hand over his chest. “It’s a little rough, but let me know what you think so far.”

Adrien set the phone on the piano gently before situating his fingers over the keys and taking a deep breath. As he started to play a soft melody, Marinette felt her breath hitch in her throat. Adrien had written such a soft melody for _her_. He’d spent time thinking about what she meant to him, and in that moment, her heart threatened to burst from her chest. How was it possible that she could still find new ways to love him even now when her heart was so torn?

Marinette closed her eyes as the melody picked up, layered on top of gentle harmonies and allowed herself a few moments to put her worries behind her. She and Adrien would figure it out in the end, and so long as Adrien was safe from Lila, she’d try not to let the fakeness of their relationship get to her. After all, Adrien’s feelings registered to her with every note, and it was clear to her that he cared for her a great deal. Even Alya could see it, so for now that was enough.

“Ah,” he sighed as the song ended abruptly. “I’m still working on the ending, but what do you think so far?”

“It’s beautiful, Adrien. Did you really write it for me?” She asked, blinking her eyes open.

“Well, yeah, I was just thinking about how far our friendship has come since we met, about how we weren’t exactly sure of each other at first, but as we’ve gotten to know each other more, we’ve become so close.” He shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. “Our friendship has really turned into something beautiful that I cherish deeply, and I’m so thankful for that.”

“Me too.” She leaned against her fist with a smile.

“So, ready for tomorrow?” He asked, and she shot her dress an uneasy look.

“I think so?” It came out as a question. “I’m nervous about walking in that big dress, but I’m really excited to attend something so fancy.”

“You’ll be fine. I’ll catch you if you fall,” he chuckled then his face did that thing again, those gorgeous green eyes conveying hidden affection that she didn’t know what to make of. “Do you wanna stay up with me and talk for a while? We didn’t get to see each other much today outside of school.”

“Sure. I was just about to look over my history notes for our test on Monday. Quiz me?” She rolled away to retrieve her notebook.

“Yes, I need to study for that too,” he said, fumbling through his bag.

Adrien had brought up a good point. Having him see her so dressed down before would have sent her into cardiac arrest, let alone talking to him for several hours. They really had come a long way since that day in the rain, and she was really glad for that. And from what she could tell, Adrien had grown more comfortable around her since this all started as well, so maybe there was hope that everything would work out in the end.

“Marinette?” Sabine poked her head in a few hours later. “It’s getting late, honey. Are you still up?”

“Sorry, Mme. Dupain-Cheng. It’s my fault,” Adrien said with a small wave, and Sabine glanced between them with a small smile.

“Five more minutes then go to bed,” Sabine said sternly, giving them a warning look. “Good night.”

“Night,” Marinette and Adrien said in unison as she retreated back down the stairs.

“We always seem to lose track of time when we’re together even through a phone. I guess it’s true what they say about time when you’re having fun,” he said.

“Yeah…” She said, biting her lip. “See you tomorrow?”

“I’ll pick you up at 6.” He nodded.

“Kay, good night,” she said, blowing him a kiss out of habit then curling her shoulders. “Sorry.”

He chuckled good-naturedly before blowing her one in return.

“Good night, beautiful. Can’t wait to see you.” Her heart lurched at that. “You hang up first.”

“Why do I have to hang up first?” She laughed, and he ran a hand through his hair.

“Because I don’t want to. I wanna keep talking,” he said, and she pressed her lips together to hide her smile. “Five more minutes?”

“Okay. Five more minutes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so if you don't follow me on tumblr, you haven't seen all of my ramblings about this over the past couple weeks, so I'll give you all a rundown.  
I wrote chapters 6 and 7 simultaneously because I was originally going to have them be 1 chapter, but then it started getting longer and longer and longer, so I split them up to avoid having a giant ass 11k chapter cause I felt like it would be too disproportionate in comparison to the other chapters prior, so I do have chapter 7 written, but I have to edit it which I will likely wait and do tomorrow because it's 11PM and I'm really tired, and I don't want to edit it with tired brain. So you can all wait, but I promise chapter 7 is hella worth the wait. Like I've been screaming about stuff that happens in it on my tumblr all week probably driving my followers insane. It's the *chefs kiss* good shit.   
Other notes from this chapter, so the song Adrien "wrote" for her is In the Rain, and it will come up again in this fic. ;) Also the dress is the dress from the insta. Idk if I said that last chapter or not. Either way. See you all tomorrow! Be sure to brush your teeth before and after reading chapter 7 cause oh man that fluff.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Adrien smoothed his suit coat for the dozenth time as he made his way up the stairs to Marinette's living room door. Usually he didn't fret so much over these galas, but tonight he felt strangely conscious of every small detail. Every hair out of place, every tiny clump of lint on his pants. He wanted to look perfect which struck him as odd seeing as it's never something he had really worried about. Others, sure, but he himself had never bothered much with the way he looked and left most of the concern to his parents or photographers. 

But tonight was different. Tonight, he was going with Marinette, and although he knew that Marinette was only his fake girlfriend, he was still driven by this innate desire to appeal to her. He wasn't sure why because he had never felt anything like it before, but as he straightened his tie again, he imagined the smile Marinette would give him upon seeing him and felt his face warm a little. More often lately he found himself chasing those smiles, and more than anything he just wanted her to look at him. 

He rang the doorbell and shoved his hands in his pockets, but feeling as though that were improper, he fumbled with how to place them before awkwardly clasping them together behind his back as Mr. Dupain opened the door.

"Good evening, Mr. Dupain," Adrien greeted politely, and Tom offered him a wide grin.

"You look very nice all dressed up, Adrien," Tom said, shaking his hand.

"Thank you. My father always makes sure of it," he chuckled. 

"Well, Marinette is just about ready. Why don't you come in?" Tom stepped aside, and Adrien entered with a nod, running his hands along his coat again. "She was really excited to be invited tonight. I don't think she has ever gotten to dress up like this before."

"I'm glad she's coming. Usually these events are pretty boring, so it will be nice to have someone my age to spend time with," Adrien said, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Do you go to events like this often?" Tom asked, and Adrien nodded with a sigh.

"My father doesn't like crowds, and my mother used to go, but now I'm the face of the brand, so I end up going in his place," he said, lowering his gaze.

"That's so much pressure for someone your age," Tom said, eyebrows furrowing, and Adrien shrugged again.

"My father has taken the loss of my mom pretty hard, so I try to do anything I can for him. It's not so bad all the time, and mostly I just have to greet people. Nathalie is the one who talks business with everyone," he said as if it couldn't be helped. 

"Grief certainly makes you grow up fast. You're very mature for 14," Tom said, and Adrien offered him a reassuring smile.

"It's been hard, but my mother would have wanted us to be happy, so I try to live each day in a way that would make her proud," he said, and Tom's face softened. Adrien was used to receiving sympathetic looks from people, but this was different. Instead of sadness or pity, Tom looked at him with love and understanding, and Adrien felt his chest swell a little as Marinette's door opened at the top of the stairs. 

"Sorry to keep you waiting. We wanted to make sure not a single hair was out of place," Sabine said, coming down first, and Adrien felt his heart jolt as pink frills gave way to striking blue eyes framed with flowing dark hair, and her glossy pink lips curled into a timid smile. 

He felt his jaw drop as she descended, and he was so utterly awestruck that all he could do was stare. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, and he momentarily forgot where he was or what they were doing. He was no stranger to girls and makeup, but Marinette was already beautiful without it every day. Perhaps he was just used to Chloe and her questionable tastes and experiments, but Marinette's makeup accentuated all of her most beautiful features. Her hair fell in dark waves around her shoulders. Her bright blue eyes sparkled against soft shadow, covered by dark fluttering lashes with every blink, and her lips glistened with light pink gloss that made him long to know how they tasted. 

"Um," she said, tugging at her skirt awkwardly, and he blinked out of his trance, snapping his jaw shut as Tom and Sabine exchanged amused looks. "Do I look weird?"

"I- no! You look...wow. I mean I've never seen you- I just...You look amazing, Marinette. Really," he said, rubbing the back of his neck as heat crept up to his cheeks, and she lowered her gaze to the ground with a shy smile. 

"You look really nice too," she said, and he felt his heart skip a beat. It was a simple declaration, but it made him really happy for some reason. 

"Can we get a picture before you two go?" Sabine requested, and Marinette shot her a glare.

"Mom!"

"Oh, you both just look so cute. Please?" Sabine pleaded, and Adrien gave Marinette a reassuring smile.

"I don't mind," he said with a shrug, and Marinette let out a sigh but stepped into his arms nonetheless. 

"Smile!" Sabine said, snapping several pictures with her phone, and Marinette took the liberty of sticking her tongue out for a few.

Adrien took a few of his own, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek and touching his nose to hers. She even smelled amazing, and Adrien could have breathed her in all night. 

"Have fun you two. We'll see you later tonight," Tom said, wrapping an arm around his wife.

"My father usually has me leave early, so I'll have her back by 10," Adrien said, offering her an arm. "Shall we go?"

Marinette smiled, linking her arm through his elbow and allowing him to lead her down to the car. He kept hold of her hand the whole ride over, stealing frequent glances at her and admiring how beautiful she looked. Adrien had always thought Marinette was cute, but tonight he truly couldn't keep his eyes off her. Maybe it was the fact that he'd never seen her with her hair down or with makeup on, or perhaps it was a combination of the two. Whatever hypnotic spell she had him under, he didn't want it to wear off. 

"So," she started, and he jumped a little, shifting his gaze away from her as if to pretend he hadn't been staring for an inordinate amount of time. "Do I need to do anything special tonight?"

"No, I'll handle everything. I mean, you'll likely be in a lot of pictures with me, but you don't need to worry about that. You look incredible," he said, and he curled his shoulders a little, cheeks warming by how easily that had slipped out.

"Thank you. The dress your dad made is really beautiful," she said, running her hands over the ruffles in the skirt. 

"You're the one who designed it," Adrien said with a smile, giving her hand a squeeze. "And personally, I think it's only half as beautiful as you." 

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, biting back a smile, and he found himself lost in her again. Why was everything about her suddenly so adorable, and why did it make his heart beat so fast? 

A hoard of photographers was waiting for them when they arrived, and Marinette seemed to stiffen as they climbed out of the limo. Adrien wrapped an arm around her waist and gave her a reassuring smile.

“Just stay by me and smile. You’ll be fine,” he said before leading her down the long line of flashing cameras and up the stairs into the gala. “See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“How do you put up with that all the time? I feel like I can’t see through all the spots in my vision now,” she said, blinking several times.

“You get used to it.” He shrugged. “Unfortunately, we have to get all of the boring stuff out of the way first. I have to greet all the guests as they arrive, but as soon as we’re done, we can go dance.”

“No worries. I’m happy just being here with you,” she said, and he felt his cheeks warm, feeling rather pleased by that response.

Having her by his side made all of the formality go by a lot faster. He barely even paid attention as each guest entered and shook his hand for his brain had traveled far away leaving him to operate on autopilot. Though he wasn’t quite sure why Marinette enjoying his company made him so happy, he couldn’t deny that it did. It felt like a great accomplishment and far more rewarding than any medal or trophy he’d ever won.

Maybe it was because it made him think that she liked him even a little. Granted, he knew that she _liked_ him seeing as they were friends, and she’d agreed to do this for him; however, he found himself longing to know whether her feelings ended at the line of friendship, or if perhaps they had wandered a little bit past. The thought made his heart skip. Did Marinette _like him_ like him, or did she only just like him? These were the questions that haunted him with increasing frequency as of late, and to his surprise, he actually hoped that the answer was yes.

“Good evening, _Adrien_.” His happiness plummeted considerably when Lila walked into the foyer and waltzed up to plant a kiss on each of his cheeks. “I see you brought along your fake girlfriend. How nice.”

“The only thing fake in the room is you,” Marinette grumbled with an eye roll.

“Lila, Marinette and I are really dating, so please be kind this evening,” Adrien said with a wince, and Lila flicked her gaze over to Marinette before flashing him a disingenuous smile.

“Aren’t I always?” She said, running her fingers through his hair before joining the other guests in the ballroom, and Marinette groaned beside him.

“Relax, don’t let her get to you,” Adrien soothed, rubbing her shoulders and touching his nose to hers. “Just focus on me tonight, okay?”

“Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath, and he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before turning back to his post.

Once the last of the guests were greeted, Adrien led Marinette into the ballroom where everyone mingled, and she glanced around in awe. Adrien bit back a smirk and nudged her with his elbow.

“Daunting, isn’t it?” He chuckled.

“How do you even begin to navigate?” Marinette asked.

“Usually I just walk around and let people approach me. A lot of them are really here to speak to Nathalie to relay messages to my father, so mostly I just get to eat a lot of free food and drink wine,” he said.

“Your father lets you have wine?” Marinette quirked a brow, and he shrugged a little.

“Certain servers have it specifically for me. It’s so watered down that the alcohol content is negligible, and it’s basically just grape juice,” he explained. “But they limit me to two glasses anyway.”

“That sounds right.” Marinette nodded, and Adrien moved in front of her, offering her a hand with a bow.

“Would the lady honor me with a dance?” He asked, and she touched a hand to her lips with a giggle.

“She absolutely would, and she’ll do her best not to step on your toes,” she said, placing her hand in his before he whisked her away to the dancefloor.

They waltzed in circles, and Marinette truly did feel like Cinderella at the grand ball as her skirt kissed the floor with each turn. Adrien was so calm and confident, holding her close, those green eyes never straying from her for a moment. How badly she wanted him to be her prince, but the clock hadn’t struck midnight yet. For now she would just enjoy the ball until all of the glamor faded, and their relationship came to an end. They weren’t pumpkins yet, so she could relax just a little bit. At least, relax as much as she was able to with the whole room looking at them. She felt hundreds of eyes on her back as partygoers whispered about them from the sidelines, and her spine stiffened.

“What’s wrong?” Adrien asked.

“Everyone’s staring at me,” she said, glancing around self-consciously.

“Can you blame them?” Adrien asked with a laugh, and she curled her shoulders a little. “You look beautiful, Marinette. Everyone is just admiring you.”

“I guess, but I feel like they’re all judging me. I mean, I’ve seen what some people say about us. You’re rich and famous, and I’m just a baker’s daughter,” she said, lowering her gaze, and Adrien tightened his grip around her waist.

“And?” He cocked a brow. “You are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met.”

“You’re just saying that.” She rolled her eyes, blinking in surprise when he stopped dancing abruptly.

“I’m not,” he said firmly, reaching a hand up to cup her cheek. “I work with a lot of girls who are pretty, but they’re all self-absorbed and only interested in me because I’m famous and good-looking. Sure, they take good photos, but their hearts are ugly and dull, and I can barely stand to be around them for longer than I have to be. And then there’s you.”

He leaned down to touch his forehead to hers, green eyes bearing into her.

“You give so much of yourself to others, and you care about people. When I look at you, I see someone so vibrant who polishes other people so they can shine too. You are beautiful inside and out, Marinette, and I mean that sincerely,” he said with a smile. “And honestly, for what it’s worth, I haven’t been able to take my eyes off you all night.”

Marinette seemed to falter at that, her cheeks glowing red as she attempted to assemble a coherent reply, but her efforts were cut short when Nathalie interrupted.

“Adrien, I have a lot of guests with business inquiries for your father. Can you mingle with a few of the more casual guests so they don’t feel shunned?” She asked, and Adrien breathed a reluctant sigh before letting his hands fall to his sides.

“Of course, Nathalie,” he said with a smile. “I’ll be back, I promise. Just enjoy yourself, okay?”

“Kay,” she said with a smile as he kissed her hand before he was forced away.

She let out a breath as she glanced around the room, finding every face unfamiliar and alien. Every face that is, except for one, and the moment Marinette laid eyes on her, she found their gazes locked as it seemed she’d had been watching her from the very moment they entered the room.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in," Lila said, cocking a hip as Marinette approached with a cutting glare.

"What poor soul did you lie to in order to be let in?" Marinette asked, crossing her arms over her chest, and Lila's lips curled into a smirk.

"I was invited actually. Same as you," she said, swirling her drink before taking a sip.

"Only because you've convinced everyone you're someone important when in reality you're just as fake as those shoes you're wearing." Marinette rolled her eyes.

"You mean as fake as your relationship with Adrien?" Lila quirked a brow, and Marinette shot her another glare.

"Sounds to me like you're just mad because Adrien asked me out before you could go through with your own little scheme. The timing was coincidental, but it worked out so well for us," Marinette said, and Lila's jaw clenched. "Gabriel has even given us his blessing, and he had this beautiful dress made for me to show his approval. It's my design, and he insisted on me getting credit for it."

"That explains why it's so ugly," Lila said with a grunt. "Gabriel only gave you credit because he didn't want his name on something so hideous."

"Is that why everyone keeps complimenting me?" Marinette tapped a finger to her chin, a smirk curling on her lips as Lila tensed. "Face it, Lila. Your lies didn't get you what you wanted this time."

"Oh, Marinette, someday you'll learn that I always get exactly what I want," Lila said, squaring her shoulders, and with a careless flick of her wrist, she splashed red wine down the front of Marinette's dress. "Oops."

Marinette's jaw dropped as Lila sauntered away, pawing at the stains forming in the fabric. Tears welled in her eyes as she glanced between the other guests, her dress, and the smug look on Lila's face before she stormed from the room.

Lila watched her go with a triumphant beam before she slipped over to where Adrien was chatting with a few other models. He examined her smirk before his eyes narrowed into a glare.

"It's really a shame, you know," Lila sighed, examining her nails. "All of this could have been avoided if you weren't such a coward."

"What are you talking about?" Adrien asked, shoulders tensing when Lila shot him another taunting grin. "What did you do?"

"Nothing either of you will be able to prove." She shrugged, and Adrien visibly bristled.

"Where's Marinette?" He demanded, and Lila averted her gaze with a chuckle.

"Probably crying in the bathroom. It's your fault really. You dragged her into this," she said, and Adrien shot off in an instant.

Playing the concerned boyfriend for everyone to see. They were so careful when they thought someone was watching, but Lila had a feeling things were different behind closed doors. She clasped her hands behind her back and paced over to where Nathalie stood in the corner between business inquiries.

"If you want your proof, just go listen to the two of them talk in private. When no one's around, they're sure to drop the act," Lila said, and Nathalie glanced around at all the guests before slinking off after Adrien.

Popping a tiny quiche into her mouth, Lila casually moved among the other guests, awaiting the end of their foolish little game. Marinette picked the wrong opponent to challenge, and she really hoped that this would ruin her chances with Adrien for good.

Marinette dabbed at the stains with a towel, heart hammering in her chest as they only smeared. They were never coming out, and she knew as much. Why did Lila always have to ruin everything? She couldn't go back out there now. What would Gabriel think if he found out she ruined the dress he had made for her? He would probably think she was careless and that she didn't respect him then he would probably decide that she didn't respect Adrien either and force them to break up then she would never be able to see Adrien again, her fashion career would be over before it started, and she would die alone in an apartment with 15 cats and a hamster named-

"Marinette?" It was Adrien knocking at the door, and she sank onto the ottoman in defeat. "Are you okay? Can I come in?"

"Yeah," she said after a moment, dabbing at her dress again as he opened the door.

He observed her tear streaked cheeks, the purple stains on the front of her dress, and the dull emptiness of her expression with a frown before kneeling in front of her.

"What happened?" He asked, and she covered her face as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.

"It's Lila. She threw wine on me and ruined my dress, and now I can't do anything and it's all ruined and-" she sobbed, and Adrien reached a hand up to brush her hair from her face.

"I'm sorry, Marinette. I should have been there to protect you," he said with a wince.

"It's not your fault," Marinette said with a sniffle, but he shook his head.

"I've let Lila roam free for far too long, and she always finds a way to attack you. I'm so sorry, Marinette," he said, and she reached out to cup his cheek, trailing her thumb along his jaw.

"Lila is a vile person, and that's no one's fault but hers. You are always more than kind to me, Adrien," she said, and he leaned his cheek against her palm before stretching up to kiss her cheek.

"What can I do to help?" He asked, shifting his gaze down to the stains on her skirt, and she shrugged her shoulders.

"There's nothing that can be done. It's never going to come out," she said with a sigh. "I can't go back out there. Not like this."

"I'll go talk to Nathalie, and maybe we can-"

"No, Adrien. I just...I was really proud of this design, and when your dad made it for me, I felt really special. Someone whose skill I admire liked something I designed and told me it was good, and now...now it's ruined, and if I go back out there, people will all talk about how I didn't care about Gabriel giving me something so important and special," she said, pressing her lips into a firm line. "I'm just gonna call my mom and ask her to come pick me up."

"No, Marinette," Adrien pleaded, placing a hand over hers. "Don't go. I want you to stay."

"But-"

"Who cares what anyone says? If anyone gives you grief, we can tell them it was my fault," he said, and she flicked her gaze up to his. "Lila ruined your dress, but that doesn't mean you have to let her ruin your night."

"Adrien…"

"I don't want you to leave. Not yet," he said, giving her hand a squeeze. "Stay. Please?"

She searched his expression before lowering her gaze back to her lap with a sigh. She couldn't say no to him.

"Okay," she said, picking at the fabric, and Adrien pulled her against his chest. "But what am I gonna do?"

"Don't worry. I'll handle everything," Adrien said with a wink, lifting her hand to his lips, and a smile curled on her lips as he pulled her back to her feet. "Come on let's go back together."

Nathalie ducked behind the corner as they left hand-in-hand, and she lifted her phone back to her ear.

"Did you find any incriminating evidence as per Miss Rossi's suggestion?" Gabriel asked.

"No. Their affection for one another seems genuine," she said.

"Keep an eye on them and keep me posted. One of those girls is going to become my masterpiece no matter the outcome," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," Nathalie said then added, "for Adrien's sake, I hope that it ends up being Lila."

"I do too. Be sure to push her if this blows up in her face. Rub salt in the wound. You have my full permission to do whatever you see fit to accomplish that," Gabriel said before hanging up, and Nathalie paced back to the ballroom.

"Everyone is staring at me," Marinette said with a frown as she and Adrien moved back through the room, and Adrien glanced around, pursing his lips.

He hailed a server over and retrieved a glass of wine from the tray, swirling it gently before dumping it onto the front of his tux.

"Adrien!" Marinette gasped, a hand flying to her mouth as he rubbed in the purple stain with his sleeve.

"Wow, I'm so clumsy, but hey, at least now we match," he said with a shrug before flashing her a wink, and she covered her face to suppress a giggle that brought a smile to his own lips. "Now everyone will be talking about me, so don't worry, okay?"

Marinette lowered her hands, bright blue eyes twinkling with gratitude and relief before she stepped forward to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you," she whispered, and he offered her a hand.

"Would the lovely lady accompany me while I mingle with my father’s clients?" He quirked a brow, and she placed her hand in his with another laugh.

"She would love to," she said with a curtsey before Adrien led her to a group across the room.

Lila watched from across the room with a scowl, arms crossed over her chest and nail tapping in annoyance. Nathalie strolled up behind her with a sly smirk and leaned down to her ear.

"I overheard something interesting, alright," she said, and Lila's eyebrows raised with excitement. "I heard you ruined the dress that Mr. Agreste had made for Marinette."

"I did what I had to," she said with a shrug.

"Marinette was quite upset over it, and Adrien was very protective of her. They seem to care for each other a great deal," Nathalie said.

“Then I’ll just have to try something else to get them to talk. I promise you-” Lila started, but Nathalie cut her off.

“Need I remind you what’s at stake if you cannot provide evidence for your claims? Mr. Agreste is not a patient man,” Nathalie said, and Lila folded her arms over her chest, puffing out her cheeks. “You have until the end of the gala.”

“I understand, and you _will_ get your proof. One way or another.”

***

“You doing okay?” Adrien asked pacing out onto the balcony later where Marinette stood looking out over the garden. “I brought you some cake.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, but upon seeing her sullen expression, he leaned against the railing beside her.

“You still upset about Lila?” She averted her gaze at that, so he nodded in understanding.

“She just always ruins everything! Your dad had this beautiful dress made, and she poured wine all over it,” Marinette said, hands curling into fists. “She’s just always out to ruin my life.”

Adrien eyed her a moment as she crossed her arms over her chest with a huff before reaching out to pull her into his arms. She leaned into his embrace as he rubbed her back and kissed her hair, nuzzling against his shoulder with a pout.

It was strange, but having her in his arms in that moment filled him with a sense of warmth like a small flame was burning in his chest. More than anything he wanted to protect that flame from harm at all cost to preserve that feeling. Marinette was someone precious to him, increasingly more so since all of this had started. She was willing to help him after he’d dragged her into a mess he’d created. She listened to him and made him laugh, but more than anything she made him feel safe.

When he pulled back slightly, she tilted her chin to look up at him, fluttery lashes hooding over bright blue eyes as he leaned down to touch his lips to hers, and the flame in his chest flickered and burned brighter. Kissing her had always stirred up such reactions in him since the very first time, and he was finally starting to understand them for what they were. So often now when he saw her, he found himself breathless and flushed, and whether she was dressed in pink pajamas with her hair in a sloppy bun over video chat or gliding across the ballroom floor in a flowing gown, she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. And Adrien was starting to understand the feelings that had been patiently bubbling inside him all this time, and he realized that he would give Marinette Dupain-Cheng the world if she asked.

“I could tell Nathalie what happened and have her escorted out,” he said after a moment when they pulled away, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “I could tell everyone that she’s a liar, so no one would ever believe her again. Then she wouldn’t both you anymore.”

“You’d really do that for me?” Marinette glanced up at him, and his face softened.

“I’d do anything for you. All you have to do is ask,” he said gently, and she lowered her gaze again.

“No. I couldn’t ask you to do that. As awful as she is, I don’t want you to resort to that.” She shook her head, and Adrien hugged her closer, pressing his forehead to hers.

“I know,” he murmured. “It’s only one of the many things I love about you.”

And he meant it. It had taken him a long time to realize the root of his fascination with Marinette, but now it seemed so painfully obvious. Standing on the balcony with her in his arms, exchanging such delicate affections in soft whispers. Kissing her cheeks, her chin, her eyes, her nose until soft giggles curled her lips into a smile, and she trained those warm blue eyes on him again.

There was no one around to see the adoring gazes shared between them. No one to witness the way he pulled her close and kissed her slowly. Not a soul to see how she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. They were alone, but Adrien liked it that way. These feelings were his, and he only wanted to share them with the girl in his arms. Feelings he finally understood.

He was in love with Marinette.

“Cake?” He asked when they pulled away, and she smiled up at him and opened her mouth as he offered her a forkful.

The two giggled, affectionately feeding each other bites before deciding to head back inside, and Lila ducked behind a plant, clutching her phone with shaking hands. She couldn’t believe how careful they were being. Did they know she was watching? No. They couldn’t have. So how then had they not slipped up? None of it made sense.

She locked eyes with Nathalie across the room then quickly averted her gaze as she approached, turning her back as soon as Nathalie got close.

“I just need a little more time,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“It’s time for Adrien and Marinette to leave, so your time is up,” Nathalie said calmly. "The two are in love, and the only obstacle in their relationship seems to be you, so Mr. Agreste has requested that I inform you that all negotiations are hereby terminated."

"What?" Lila spun around. "But I-"

"Mr. Agreste doesn't appreciate when his hard work is ruined or when people threaten his son's happiness," Nathalie said coldly. "He was quite clear when he told you that you were to prove your claims or be removed from your agreement, and seeing as Adrien has a girlfriend to look after him now, we no longer require your services."

"But I can prove it, Ms. Nathalie, I swear!" Lila pleaded. "Please, just give me one more chance."

"You failed to provide evidence of your claims, so your involvement in our affairs is over. Goodbye," Nathalie said before turning and walking away, leaving Lila to seethe as a little black butterfly landed on her phone, and a familiar voice brought a sly grin to her lips.

Gabriel wanted proof? Oh she'd get him proof.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter is the one I've been talking about for like the last several chapters in comments where Adrien does something super sweet for her. And he finally recognizes his feelings! Next chapter is going to be a wild ride, but everything will all be worth it in the end. I think I'm gonna have at least 2 more chapters left in this story. Maybe 3 depending. The ending is gonna be real cute I think. Very Adrinette. I listened to In the Rain on repeat for like an hour while writing this chapter/last chapter and got really in my feelings, so hopefully I can capture those feelings in the next few chapters. See you all soon!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! I just wanted to pop in and keep it real with all of you. I understand that many of you really enjoy this story, and that's great, I enjoy it too, but please understand that I am not getting paid to write this. I have a day job. I have a life outside of this screen. Just because I haven't updated in a couple of months doesn't mean I've abandoned this story. I intend to finish it. Soon, in fact. But the fact of the matter is, I've had a lot going on in my personal life. Namely, two of my relatives have passed away since the last update, so I have not had the time or motivation to work on trivial things. My fanfiction is written in my spare time, for free, for fun. Please, be patient if I take a while to update. You don't always know what's going on in someone's life.

Chapter 8

“I’m sorry you had a rough time tonight.”

Marinette blinked up at Adrien who wore a frown and smiled.

“It’s okay. I still had fun getting to be with you,” she said, leaning her head on his arm. And she meant it.

Despite everything, she’d still spent time with him, and no amount of Lila trying to thwart them could take that way. Besides, she wasn’t successful, so they had nothing to worry about. Or, so she thought until the foyer door flew across the room, and Adrien yanked her to the ground, shielding her head.

“Where do you two think you’re going? The party is just getting started.” Marinette didn’t have to guess who this villain was. That sadistic grin curling dark lips could only belong to one person.

“Lila,” she and Adrien said with equal venom.

“Not anymore! I’ve had a little upgrade.” She waved her phone. “You may call me Veritas!” The camera flashed, and Nathalie took a defensive stance in front of them, freezing stiff the moment the flash hit.

“Come on!” Adrien took her wrist and raced for the stairs, and Veritas seemed rather disappointed to have missed her targets.

“Frozen solid is how you’ll be, only the truth can set you free,” Veritas chanted.

“I’m in love with my boss!” Nathalie admitted, surging forward with a gasp the moment the spell was broken.

“Not exactly the scandal I’m looking for,” she said, abandoning Nathalie in pursuit of her real objective who just made it to the top of the stairs. “Going somewhere?”

“Naming yourself after the Roman goddess of truth? How ironic,” Marinette said, blue eyes narrowing into slits.

“Lying is my game, you rat, and you’re about to learn that you’re outmatched,” she said, raising her phone again, but Adrien knocked Marinette aside as the flash went off.

“Adrien!”

“Run!” He ordered, and after a moment of hesitation, she gathered her skirt and dashed up the hall. Only Ladybug could help him now.

Tikki flitted out the moment they ducked into an empty office.

“Let’s transform before Lila gets Adrien to talk,” Marinette said. “Tikki, transform me!”

\- - -

“You must think you’re so brave, sacrificing yourself, but it doesn’t really matter to me which one of you tells the truth,” Veritas said, and Adrien’s eyes followed her arm as she raised her phone and hit record. “So, Adrien,” she purred his name. “Frozen solid is how you’ll be, only the truth can set you free. You don’t really love Marinette, do you?”

“I love her!” He said, falling forward with a labored heave.

“What?” Veritas growled, zapping him again. “Frozen solid is how you’ll be, only the truth can set you free! Are you in love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng?”

“Yes!” He said, glaring up at her as he once more broke through her spell.

Liar!” She shouted, fists shaking. “You’re lying! I know you’re lying.”

“Speak for yourself,” Ladybug said, landing in front of Adrien, yoyo primed and spinning. She turned over her shoulder at him. “Get somewhere safe. I’ll cover you.”

“Watch out for her camera flash. If she takes a picture of you, you’ll be frozen until you answer her,” he warned.

“Thanks. Now get out of here,” she said, but Adrien didn’t have to be told twice. Lila had attacked Marinette one too many times tonight, and he was going to make sure she didn’t get to do it again.

“Plagg, transform me!”

\- - -

“Not so fast!” Veritas snarled. “He’s going to tell me the truth!”

“You’re not going to touch a hair on his head!” Ladybug countered, brandishing her yoyo.

“Get out of my way!” Veritas said, glaring up at Ladybug who took a step back. Veritas’ half-crazed expression sent a chill down Ladybug’s spine, eyes wide, hungry, deranged. “I don’t even want to fight you. If you let me go, I’ll let you capture my akuma without a fight.”

“No deal, Veritas. I know you too well, and there’s no way I’d ever trust you,” Ladybug said, and Veritas’ expression darkened, lips twisting into a frown.

“Then you and I will do this the hard way,” Ladybug ducked back as Veritas camera flashed, flipping to avoid each image she snapped. “This doesn’t even concern you!”

“When Hawkmoth akumatizes someone, it’s automatically my business,” Ladybug shot back, but she did one thing she vowed never to do from the moment Lila came to their school: she underestimated her.

Ladybug’s back hit the wall. Veritas had led her right where she wanted, and with nowhere to run, Veritas snapped a photo, freezing Ladybug in place.

“You had to do this the hard way, didn’t you?” Veritas said, approaching her slowly and leaning into her face with a wicked grin. Her fingers trailed up Ladybug’s jaw and closed around her earrings. “And now you’ve lost.”

“Think again,” Chat said, extending his staff into Veritas side and knocking her through the window. He reached Ladybug’s side in a few quick strides, a sly smirk curling on his lips that she wished she could smack.

“Tell me the truth. Who’s the best partner in the world?” He asked, leaning on his staff, and Ladybug rolled her eyes.

“You are, Chat Noir,” she said, breathing a sigh of relief as she regained control of her muscles.

“I’m touched you meant that,” he said, placing a hand over his heart.

“You know you’re irreplaceable to me, kitty,” she said, flicking his bell. “Now, let’s take out the trash, shall we?”

“After you, bug,” he said with a bow, and they both got a running start to leap out the window after Veritas.

“You got lucky, Ladybug, but don’t expect me to get caught off guard again!” Veritas snarled, picking herself up. “I’m going to expose Adrien and Marinette once and for all, and no one is going to stop me, and if you get in my way, I’ll expose you both too!”

Ladybug and Chat Noir dodged another camera flash, separating in hopes of splitting her attention, but Veritas’ grudge was too deep-seated to be so easily thwarted. She dodged back herself, and Ladybug read her intention as the distance between them grew.

“She’s trying to widen her shot. We need to stay close,” she called.

“Got it,” Chat said with a nod.

They both closed in, but the flash of Veritas’ camera prevented them from closing the distance. Lila had always been a formidable foe any time they’d fought her, and tonight was no exception. Her desire to expose Marinette and Adrien made her strong, but it also made her sloppy.

Chat Noir extended his staff behind her feet as she pressed backwards, and she was so focused on capturing Ladybug that she didn’t notice until she was toppling backward, her phone flying from her hand. It skidded across the bricks, coming dangerously close to the small pond in the center of the courtyard, and Veritas gasped, clawing her way after it in time with Chat Noir. She reached it first, and Chat narrowly dodged the flash, flipping behind a tree and turning to Ladybug.

“I can’t get close to her,” he said, and Ladybug palmed her yoyo, signaling for him to cover her. When he charged in again, she gave the command.

“Lucky charm!” Ladybug called, catching the object as it fell. “A lug wrench? What am I going to do with this?”

She glanced around, mask bunching in the middle as she surveyed her surroundings for a solution. Her eyes narrowed on the lush bushes surrounding the courtyard, tiny droplets sparkling with each flash of Veritas’ camera. The ground was wet too, but she was certain it hadn’t rained. Amid the leaves, a black nozzle poked out, and Ladybug flicked her gaze around the yard, spotting several others like it. Sprinklers.

Her head whipped around, and she squinted in the dark until her eyes rested on a silver box embedded in the stone. The water control. She bolted for it. The hexagonal prong on the front was a perfect match for her wrench, and she quickly set to work unscrewing it.

Chat Noir drew Veritas’ fire while Ladybug pried the box open, and she smiled down at the big red wheel. As she twisted it, water hissed through small leaks in the pipes below, and Ladybug glanced up to see the sprinklers burst to life.

Veritas tried to shield herself from the spray, but she was surrounded. She attempted to take a picture of Chat Noir, but the camera lens was too water-logged. The screen went dark, and with a frustrated growl, Veritas threw it to the ground, shattering the screen just enough for a black butterfly to creep through.

Ladybug readied her yoyo, but Lila spared no time as the black waves cleared away from her. She charged at Ladybug, tackling her before she could capture the akuma. Her hands clawed for the earrings, but Chat Noir ripped her off almost as soon as they hit the ground.

“This is all your fault! I hate you, Ladybug! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!” Lila screamed, writhing in Chat’s arms.

Ladybug took a few steps back as tears poured down Lila’s cheeks, swiping her finger across her yoyo. Lila broke free but not before the akuma was captured, and Ladybug parried her attack this time and pinned her to the ground. She screamed and kicked the entire time as security carried her from the premises, and Chat whistled as she was hauled away.

“That girl has officially lost her marbles,” he remarked, and Ladybug shook her head with a sigh.

“It’s what happens when you build your world on lies. Eventually, you’re going to drive yourself crazy trying to keep up,” she said, retrieving her wrench from the ground. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

***

“Marinette!”

Adrien was up the stairs in the flash the moment Marinette appeared completely disregarding the interview he was in the middle of. All that mattered was her, and he needed to hold her in his arms. To know for himself that she was okay. The moment he reached her, he crushed her against his chest, clutching fistfuls of her dress as they sank to their knees.

“I was so worried about you,” he murmured, nuzzling into her neck.

“I’m okay. Ladybug and Chat Noir took care of everything,” she said, trailing her fingers through his hair. “I’m safe, Adrien.”

“I couldn’t live with myself if anything had happened to you because of me.” He pulled back with a frown and touched his forehead to hers. “You’re too important to me. I’d never forgive myself.”

“Adrien…” Marinette searched his expression, but before she could continue, Nathalie cleared her throat.

“It’s time for you two to go home,” she said, and Adrien helped Marinette to her feet.

He remained quiet on the walk to the car, holding Marinette’s hand tightly. A pensive frown brought a crease to his brows, and when they made it to the car, he helped Marinette inside then turned to Nathalie.

“Can I tell you something?” He asked, shifting his weight. “About Lila.”

“I’m aware,” she said with a nod. “I’ve already taken care of it. She won’t bother you two anymore.”

Adrien relaxed at that, an appreciative smile curling on his lips as he said, “Thank you, Nathalie.”

“Tell Marinette not to worry about the dress. We will handle everything,” she said before taking her leave, and Adrien climbed into the limo.

He slid next to Marinette, twining their fingers together once more, and his heart stirred when she smiled up at him.

“Nathalie knows about Lila. She said she’s already taken care of it, so we won’t have to put up with her anymore,” he said, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “So next time we can just enjoy the evening together.”

“That’ll be nice,” Marinette said with a sigh, leaning her head against his shoulder.

Adrien surveyed her dress, now torn and stained, his heart sinking. Marinette couldn’t catch a break. Every time she took a step toward her dreams, something got in the way. Chloe stealing her designs and playing hero. Lila trying to gain her own ground despite having no talent outside of bending the truth. If anyone deserved the recognition, it was Marinette.

She was smart, capable, talented, kind. Adrien had to wonder why it had taken him so long to fall in love with her, though he supposed he had always been drawn to her in some way. Maybe he’d always felt this way deep down without realizing, so in a way, he was glad they’d done this because it helped him discover feelings he never knew existed.

“You okay?” Marinette glanced up at him, and he realized he’d been staring at her.

“Yeah, just…I feel bad about tonight. Usually these things are boring, but then again, Lila isn’t usually on the guest list,” he said, pursing his lips. “I guess I’m just sorry.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Marinette pointed out, reaching to cup his face.

“I dragged you into this,” he whispered, wincing in pain as Marinette pinched his cheek.

“I made my choice, and I’m not backing down on it,” she said, those blue eyes steadfast and alight with a gentle determination. “You’re important to me, and if we hadn’t been here tonight to go through all of this then Lila would still be posing in shoots with you and getting a free pass to fame for doing nothing. I see tonight as a win.”

“Yeah, I guess…” He rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh. “I just…I care about you too, Marinette, and I hate to see you get attacked because of me.”

“Lila attacked me because I don’t put up with her crud, Adrien, and because she knew I had her beat this time. Please don’t blame yourself for her actions,” she said, pulling his face down to nuzzle his nose with her own. “You have a kind heart, and I could never blame you for her.”

“Marinette…” Her lips were so close, and Adrien couldn’t help himself.

To his delight, she kissed him back, softly at first, but the stress of the evening came seeping to the surface as he hugged her closer. Pain. Fear. Love. Passion. All blended together, passing in weighted sighs between their lips, and they gripped tighter, kissed deeper until Marinette was in his lap.

Adrien’s knuckles burned white, clutching fistfuls of her dress and hair. His heart raced as her arms curled around his neck, and her head tilted to press her tongue deeper into his mouth. Each breath that burned against his lips reassured him that she was okay. Each pass of the tongue gave him comfort that Lila hadn’t hurt her. That she was safe.

The pounding rhythm of his heart burned so deeply that he had to wonder how he’d ever been so blind, and like most nights with her lately, he wasn’t ready to let go. To say goodbye. He could have held her forever if it were possible, but soon the limo stopped in front of the bakery, snapping the tension in the car like a rubber band. He didn’t want it to end, but creases had settled into her foundation around forming eyebags - she’d been through a lot tonight.

“I’m glad I got to come, even if the night didn’t turn out how we expected,” Marinette said when they climbed out of the limo, flashing him a smile that made his brain melt. “I’m glad that you and I have gotten the chance to spend more time together.”

“Me too,” he said, linking his arm through hers. “Come on, I’ll walk you up.”

“Aww, what a gentleman,” she giggled.

“Of course. You’re my girlfriend, so it would be very rude of me not to see you home safely,” he said as they reached the door, and he shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’m really glad we’re together, Marinette. Being with you is genuinely amazing, and…I like it.” His chest tightened as her blue eyes softened, and his mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. “Actually, Marinette, I like-”

“Marinette? Is that you, sweetie?” Sabine called from the floor below as slow footsteps started upward.

“Yeah, Mom!”

“Oh! I didn’t mean to interrupt. I can wait downstairs,” Sabine said upon seeing them, but Adrien shook his head.

“No, no. I was just saying good night,” he insisted, cheeks burning as he turned to Marinette. “Um, good night. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Yep.”

He placed a quick kiss on her cheek before scurrying past Mme. Cheng. His heart hammered a mile a minute when he made it back to the car, and he couldn’t quite place why. It wasn’t like he’d never confessed his feelings to someone before, but part of him was glad they were interrupted. Tonight wasn’t the night to tell Marinette he loved her. Not after everything they’d been through. No, he wanted to put in a little extra effort this time to ensure he’d captured her attention.

A smile curled on his lips as Gorilla pulled away, a plan already forming in his mind. He’d tell Marinette the truth in time, and he was going to do it his way.

***

“Knock, knock.” Adrien let himself into Marinette’s living room a week later. “I’ve got something for you.”

“Oh?” She leaned away from the sink where she was washing her lunch dishes, and he presented her with a magazine.

_Crazed fan attacks Adrien Agreste and girlfriend at gala_

“They never mention her name or show her photo, but we can laugh at it,” he said.

“I’ll have to frame it,” she said with a wicked grin. She dried her hands then took the magazine to the couch, and Adrien wiped sweaty palms on his jeans. “At least they got some good shots of my dress before she ruined it.”

“Oh, yeah. They did,” he said, heart pounding as his fingers twitched, eager to reach out and touch her. It was all he thought about since the gala.

Taking a risk, he draped his arm over her shoulders, breathing a sigh of relief when she seemed unfazed. Of course she wouldn’t notice. They were supposed to be dating. He could hold her all he wanted. Even kiss her if he wanted, and he so wanted to. Would it be weird out of the blue like this with no one around? No. It should be fine. Right?

Just a peck, he decided, leaning over to press his lips to her cheek, and a soft laugh escaped her lips. She turned to him, those bright blue eyes sparkling, and he couldn’t help the magnetic pull that begged for more. He leaned in again, and to his delight, she set the magazine aside and wrapped her arms around his neck with equal eagerness, those soft hands trailing through the hair on the nape of his neck.

Her fingertips sent sparks down his spine and gooseflesh up his arms. How could he have ever been blind to this? Marinette was everything he’d ever wanted, and he was beyond falling. He’d already hit the ground hard, but the view looking up was every bit worth it.

“I got you another present,” he murmured against her lips, and her eyes narrowed.

“Adrien Agreste,” her voice bore a warning as he reached into his shirt pocket.

“It’s nothing crazy, but I thought maybe for our next date we could go to a Clara Nightingale concert together,” he said, holding up two tickets.

“You got Clara Nightingale tickets?” She gasped, snatching them from his grasp. “I thought they were sold out?”

“Well, when your father designs all of her outfits, you kind of always have tickets on reserve if you want them,” he said with a shrug. “So, I take it this means you want to-”

“Yes!” She bounced excitedly, grabbing his cheeks and pulling him in for another kiss.

He sat back when they pulled away, dazed, and Marinette smiled down at the tickets, her cheeks aglow with a giddy glint that made Adrien’s heart warm. He could get used to seeing that smile, and he’s embarrassed to admit the extent to which he chased it in the coming weeks.

From that day on, he showered her with small tokens of his affection, or rather, they started out small. Boxes of chocolate, flowers, love letters left in her locker. But soon small became medium and medium became large as she rewarded him with dazzling smiles and melodic giggles, grateful kisses and crushing hugs, and he became eager to do better. He could have continued on such a path had his good friends not pulled him aside one morning in the locker room wearing pensive frowns.

“Um, dude, we need to stage an intervention,” Nino said, and Adrien tilted his head to the side.

“Why?” He asked, and Nino gestured to the giant teddy bear in his arms. “It’s for Marinette.”

“Yeah, dude, I know,” Nino said, shaking his head. “You’ve been smothering her with gifts lately.”

“So?” Adrien said, and Nino glanced at Alya with a sigh.

“You tell him,” Nino said, stepping aside for his girlfriend to take the reins.

“Adrien…gifts are nice, and they’re a nice way to express your affection for someone…every once in a while. But multiple gifts every day can be a bit…overkill,” she said with a wince, giving it to him as gently as possible. “Does Marinette really need that giant bear?”

“I saw it and thought of her.” He shrugged. “Everything I see lately reminds me of her.”

“And that’s very sweet, but maybe you should take it easy on the gifts,” Alya said, holding up chiding hands as Adrien lowered the bear with a frown.

“Has Marinette said something?” He asked, perfectly plucked brows knitting together.

“No! She totally loves all of your gifts-”

“Then I don’t understand what the issue is,” Adrien said with a sigh, and Alya pinched the bridge of her nose.

“It’s just excessive. You don’t need to buy Marinette’s affection. She already loves you,” Alya said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “And…people are starting to talk about you two, and not in a good way.”

“What are they saying?” Adrien tensed, stomach dropping to his feet, and Alya and Nino exchanged looks.

“Uh, well, basically, that Marinette’s a…” Nino struggled for words, so Alya finished for him.

“Gold-digger. They’re calling her a gold-digger because you keep buying her nice things,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “And taking her to concerts and galas and fancy restaurants. Most of us know that’s not true because Marinette would never, but I’ve been seeing a lot of comments online.”

“This is all my fault,” Adrien said, shoulders curling.

“Well, yeah, kinda.” Alya elbowed Nino, so he added, “but you totally didn’t mean it, dude. You just want to treat your lady, and that’s totally fine, but maybe tone it back just a bit.”

“Okay. Thanks for telling me, guys,” Adrien said with a small smile.

“Anytime. I’ve always got your back, bro.” Nino bumped his fist to Adrien’s then nodded to the bear. “You should probably take that back.”

“But I had a little heart with a picture of us sewn inside that has a recording of my heartbeat,” Adrien said with a pout, and Alya smacked a palm to her forehead.

“On second thought, you should burn it,” she said, and Adrien hugged it to his chest defensively.

“Good morning, my love!” Marinette called, skipping into the locker room and stopping short upon seeing the giant bear. She put her hands on her hips. “Adrien.”

“I got it because I love you _beary_ much,” he said, waving its arms, and Marinette leaned up to kiss him.

“You’re such a dork. I love you too,” she giggled. “Where am I even going to put this thing?”

“I guess I didn’t think about that,” he said with a wince. “I haven’t really thought about a lot of things. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I love it. Thank you.” She brushed his cheek with the back of her knuckle and hoisted the bear over her shoulder. “It’s bigger than I am.”

“We’re gonna go to class, so we don’t get stuck behind the S.S. Lovey-dovey. Try not to be late lugging that thing around,” Alya said, shaking her head and giving Adrien a stern look before she and Nino went ahead without them.

“Sorry. I’ve been really carried away lately,” Adrien said as Marinette set the bear on the bench across from her locker. “I wasn’t thinking about how it could affect you.”

“I love all your gifts,” she said, but he averted his gaze.

“Alya told me what people have been saying about us. About _you_.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “It’s my fault. All I ever do is cause you trouble.”

“Adrien, who cares what other people are saying. I know your gifts are innocent, and you know I’m not using you,” she said, cupping his cheek and lifting his chin. “But I know you carry a lot of guilt for all of this, and that this is your way of making up for things, so let me be the one to tell you that you don’t have to buy forgiveness. I’m with you until the end no matter what, okay?”

“Does this mean I should take the bear back?” He asked, and she glanced over at it, pursing her lips.

“It’s pretty big,” she said with a wince, and Adrien nodded.

“That’s fair,” he sighed. “Next time, I’ll get you something smaller, okay?”

“Adrien.”

“And I promise to only buy you gifts with real special meaning for special occasions,” he added, holding up defensive hands, so she relaxed.

“What am I going to do with you?” She laughed, brushing his nose with her finger.

“Marry me and grow old together?” He waggled his eyebrows.

“Maybe,” she said, resting her chin on his chest with a playful grin.

“Maybe?” He scoffed.

“If you ask me nicely,” she said then in a whisper added, “I think we’ve got a few years before we have to worry about that though.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he said, leaning down to touch his forehead to hers. “I just think about it a lot lately. How much I want to be with you.”

“Adrien-” Her voice was cut off by the piercing screech of the bell, and they jolted apart.

“I guess we’ll never get married if we both flunk out of school for being late,” he said with a laugh, taking her hand and tugging her along.

He didn’t think much of it when she griped his hand a little tighter on the way, nor did he notice the flush on her cheeks that persisted for the rest of the day. He was too busy planning, but unfortunately for him, so was someone else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Only two more to go! I'll see you all next time.  
Credit to tumblr user liamnl for coming up with Lila's akuma name. Thanks, boo~


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to come out! I've had a lot going on in real life, and the quarantine kind of sapped my desire to write for a while.

Chapter 9

“Boo.”

Adrien poked his head through the skylight, and Marinette glanced up from the computer monitor she’d set up for movie night. Her face softened as he climbed up and presented a plate of fresh cookies, and he leaned in to peck her cheek.

“Got everything all set?” He asked, placing the cookies on the cable spool.

“Just about,” she said, flicking the monitor on and waving the mouse.

He held out his arms for her to crawl into his lap, leaning his head against hers while she selected the movie and closed his eyes as she nestled in. It was the perfect night with the perfect girl, and if he had his way, all of this would be real soon enough. He almost had everything he needed to put his plan in motion, and the more nights they spent like this, the more confident he became that she actually liked him back.

His feelings were growing every day. Their goodbyes stretching longer, their good mornings so much warmer, their kisses far more passionate. He loved Marinette so deeply, and he hoped more than anything that she loved him too. He couldn’t bare being rejected this time. Ladybug was one thing, but if Marinette didn’t love him, his heart just might shatter having come this far.

“What?” She asked, tilting her head to the side, and he blinked.

“What?”

“You’re staring at me,” she said, and he felt his cheeks warm.

“Sorry,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I just can’t help it. You’re cute.”

Then it was her turn to blush, and a satisfied smile curled on his lips. Marinette had always flustered easily, but he liked to pretend that it was because she liked him too. He said things like that often just to see her fumble because for a minute he could hope. Plus, it was cute to see her cheeks flush as pink as the flowers on her shirt.

“I’m not even doing anything,” she said, her shrill tone conveying her embarrassment.

“You’re always cute to me,” he said, leaning down to peck her cheek. “You’re just cute.”

“You’re cute too,” she said, reaching to cup his face.

“Then I guess that means we’re perfect for each other,” he murmured, resting his forehead against hers and teasing her lips with his own. He sighed in breathy delight when she claimed them for herself.

Soon nights like this would be real. Soon he’d tell her just how breathless she made him. Soon they wouldn’t have to pretend. Soon.

***

Marinette laid back against her pillows that night with a sigh, face hot. She stared up at her skylight, picking at the necklace Adrien had given her until Tikki floated over with a questioning look.

“What’s wrong, Marinette?” She asked, lowering onto her master’s stomach.

“It’s Adrien,” she said, sitting up and cupping the kwami in her hands. “Lately, I feel like…he’s different. Like, he actually _likes_ me, and I don’t know if it’s just that we’ve gotten used to this charade or if it’s just wishful thinking or...”

“You two have been together a while,” Tikki said pointedly, and Marinette flicked her gaze over to the picture she’d cut from their fairytale spread tacked to her corkboard.

“Almost 3 months now,” she said, pursing her lips. “I don’t want to get my hopes up. I mean, am I crazy thinking that he’s been different ever since the gala? First he started buying me all these gifts, which I thought was just guilt, but then he said all that stuff in the locker room, and I catch him staring at me sometimes with this look on his face like…like the way I used to look at him.”

“Maybe he’s fallen for you for real,” Tikki said and Marinette’s heart skipped at the thought.

“Do you really think so, Tikki?” She asked. “Do you really think Adrien is in love with me?”

“Why wouldn’t he be, Marinette? You’re smart and kind, and you’ve been by his side this whole time. I’m sure he feels differently about you now than he did three months ago,” Tikki said, floating up to brush her cheek.

Marinette’s cheeks flushed, and she smiled at the lucky charm he’d made for her birthday resting on her shelf next to his picture. They’d come a long way since then, and she had to wonder how effective that charm was if she’d gotten herself into this mess. But maybe this was how things were supposed to play out. Maybe Tikki was right, and Adrien was in love with her now. Maybe…if she was lucky.

She shot forward with a smile, crawling from her bed as an image formed in her mind.

“What are you doing?” Tikki asked as she moved to her sewing machine.

“I’m going to make Adrien a gift, and this time, I’m going to tell him how I really feel.”

***

Adrien hummed on the way to his locker, his fingers tracing over imaginary keys. Her song had been playing on loop in his brain ever since the gala, and he spent most of his free time perfecting it these days. It had evolved a lot since he played it for her the first time just like his feelings had since then. It would be his final gift to her as her fake boyfriend and the first gift he’d give her as her real one. Hopefully.

“My, my, don’t you seem happy,” a sultry voice crooned, and Adrien’s spine stiffened.

“What do you want, Lila?” He asked without turning around, busying himself with shuffling things in his locker.

She’d been avoiding him ever since the night at the gala, but it was only a matter of time before she came back. She wasn’t going to take what happened lightly, despite having got off easy. Her thirst for revenge was unquenchable in that sense, and unfortunately for Adrien and Marinette, it was personal.

“Oh, nothing,” she said, twirling on her heels and leaning against the locker beside his. The small hairs on the back of his neck prickled, but he continued to face his locker with a steely expression much to her amusement. “That’s not a very pretty face.”

“I’m not exactly in pretty company,” he said, pulling his fencing lamé from his bag.

“I’m insulted, Adrien! Is that anyway to talk to a _friend_?” She asked, placing a hand on her chest. “You did say we’re friends, didn’t you?”

“I think you and I have different definitions of what constitutes friendship, and to be honest, I’m not really that interested in yours,” he said, not bothering to mask the bite in his voice.

“What a shame. And here I thought you were trying to convince everyone that you care about Marinette,” she said, examining her nails.

Adrien slammed the locker, meeting her taunting gaze head on with a glare. “If you so much as lay one finger on Marinette-”

“You’ll do what?” Lila asked with a laugh, but she shrank a little when he stepped toward her.

“I’ll end this little game of yours for good and tell everyone who you really are,” he said, and her shoulders relaxed, that crooked grin returning.

“Oh, I’m sure you will,” she said in a tone that was anything but convinced.

“Don’t test me, Lila. I’m done with your games and letting you walk wherever you please. If you do _anything _to Marinette, I’ll make sure you regret it,” he said, hands balling into fists.

Lila pushed away from the lockers, sauntering back up the aisle. “Don’t worry. _I’m_ not going to do anything to Marinette,” she said, pausing at the end to cast a smirk over her shoulder. “You’re going to destroy your relationship yourself.”

“Lila-”

“Toodles!” She waved with a sadistic giggle, leaving Adrien seething in her wake.

Adrien suspected that Lila had only been biding her time, waiting for the right moment to strike, but he wasn’t going to let her get away so easily this time. If Lila tried anything, he’d put an end to her reign and make sure no one fell victim to her lies again. White lies he could ignore, but Lila was threatening the people he loved, and that he couldn’t forgive. But it didn’t matter anyway. She was too late.

“Adrien?” Marinette’s voice echoed from the front doors of the locker room, and she appeared around the corner. Her smile melted away the bulk of his anger, and as he stooped to kiss her, his shoulders relaxed. “You okay? I saw Lila walk out, and…I got worried.”

“I’m fine. She’s just being her usual self and trying to get in my head, but it’s not gonna work,” he said, shaking his head as if to sift the lingering dread like sand. “I’m working on a surprise for you.”

“Adrien, I thought we talked about all the gifts,” she said with a laugh, and she ran her hands down his arms until her fingers twined with his. “What’s the occasion?”

“Friday is our 3-month anniversary, so I thought that maybe you could come over for dinner,” he said, giving her hands a squeeze. “Nathalie already cleared it, so I mean, if you want to come, that is.”

“That sounds nice. I’d love to,” she said, and Adrien’s stomach filled with butterflies under her warm gaze.

When she looked at him like that, he truly believed that she loved him too, and in just a few days, they’d be together for real, far beyond Lila’s reach. Together. In love. _Safe_.

***

“You’re awfully smiley,” Alya remarked that afternoon in Marinette’s bedroom. Textbooks and notes littered the floor around them, and Marinette bit her lip, unsuccessfully masking the very smile Alya was teasing.

“Adrien invited me over for dinner on Friday to celebrate being together for 3 months,” she said with a shrug. “And I’m really happy.”

“Ya know, they say 3 months is when a relationship gets real. If a couple can survive 3 months together, then they’re statistically more likely to stay together long-term,” Alya said, leaning against her fist. “You two have been through a lot together, but it’s only made you two stronger. Honestly, you two are such relationship goals.”

“Oh, y-yeah, we just stay honest with each other, and things have just worked out,” Marinette said, and when Alya seemed satisfied, she averted her gaze. “I just…I really love him, and on Friday I…I hope I can tell him how much he really means to me.”

“Aww, girl, I’m sure Adrien knows your feelings for him are real. Nino says he talks about you a lot, and anyone with eyes can see how much you two adore each other.” Alya draped an arm over her shoulders. “You two are going to be just fine moving forward. Hey, let’s plan another double date soon. We can go ice skating, or I hear there’s a new painting coming to the Louvre for a little while soon, we can go-”

Marinette leaned her head against Alya’s with a contented sigh. For the first time since this started, she felt completely at ease. All of those schemes she planned never quite turned out how she wanted because she was always worried that Adrien would reject her, but as Friday approached, she didn’t feel afraid. She was going to tell him her true feelings once and for all, and she knew that this time would be different. On Friday, everything would change.

\- - -

From the moment she woke up that morning, Marinette’s stomach fluttered with butterflies. Tonight was the night she finally told Adrien her most precious feelings. After dinner there would be no more secrets or lies, and tonight would be their first night as a real couple. She was sure of it.

Maybe it was the feeling hanging in the air as she walked to school, or the shy smile that Adrien gave her as he waited for her at the base of the stairs just like always. Their good morning kiss was soft, comfortable, familiar, and it carried all of her unspoken feelings waiting to burst free.

“Are we still on for tonight?” He asked when they broke away, lingering close.

“Of course! I’m looking forward to it,” she said, picturing the gift she’d slaved over for the past several days in preparation for this very moment. She’d known from the beginning that she’d have to tell Adrien the truth eventually, and tonight was the perfect time. She was ready.

“Me too. I have a Chinese lesson right after school, but you can come over around 6 that way we can spend some time together before dinner,” he said, pecking her cheek. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” she said, and his gaze softened in the same way it always did lately. Those soft smiles were meant just for her.

“Earth to the lovebirds, but you still have a full day of school before the festivities,” Alya cut in, and she and Nino gave them chiding looks as the bell rang.

Adrien took her hand, twining their fingers together as they walked, and Marinette thought about Alya’s words.

_Anyone with eyes can see that you two adore each other._

She paid attention to the way Adrien’s hand griped hers tighter just before he let go to take his seat. The longing look he gave her before he turned around when Mlle. Bustier entered. How often he touched her when they were standing together during breaks, reaching for the hem of her blazer or rubbing her shoulders, touching her hair, her cheek, her hand. He barely seemed to notice he was doing it, or if he did, he didn’t show it. Adrien really did play the part of devoted and adoring boyfriend perfectly. _Too_ perfectly, and Marinette had to hold onto hope that it was because he’d dropped the act and fallen for real.

“I’ll see you in a little while, okay?” He said that afternoon, standing on the curb.

“Yeah, see you soon,” she said, stretching up to kiss him before he climbed into his town car.

She watched the car pull away, heart fluttering, then turned to head home and prepare for the evening. She needed to look her best when telling Adrien her feelings. She had to wash her hair, find her lucky socks, make sure that every single stitch was perfect for his-

“That’s her.” Marinette paid little mind to the girls outside the bakery until they stepped into her path.

“You’re Marinette Dupain-Cheng, right?” One of them asked, and Marinette blinked out of her trance.

“Uh, yeah, why?” She asked, glancing between them. Something in the way they stood put her on edge. Her spine pricked, and the little hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. If she was certain of one thing it was that these girls were trouble.

The girl in the middle sized her up, and Marinette squared her shoulders under her disapproving glare.

“I don’t get what Adrien sees in a girl like you,” she said, and her cohorts echoed their agreement.

“Excuse me?” Marinette bristled.

“Your parents own a stupid bakery, and Adrien is a famous model. You don’t deserve someone like him,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Yeah! You’re just using him!” Another sneered, and Marinette’s jaw clenched.

“Adrien and I were friends long before we started dating, and he’s not shallow like that. He doesn’t care where I come from. He likes me for me,” she said, surprising herself with how confident she sounded.

“Adrien is a perfect angel, and he’s too naïve to see when someone is taking advantage of him,” the leader said, and it took every ounce of Marinette’s willpower not to transform into Ladybug and string the three of them up from the Eiffel Tower with her yoyo.

“I’m not taking advantage of him!” She shot back instead.

“Oh yeah? Then what’s this?” One of the other girls yanked the chain around Marinette’s neck, snapping it free. “Looks expensive.”

Marinette rubbed the sore spot, reaching for her necklace with the other. “Give it back! That was a gift!”

“I’m sure it was. Adrien probably doesn’t think twice about buying you whatever expensive thing you ask for,” the third girl said while the other dangled her necklace tauntingly.

“Give it back!” Marinette grabbed for it, but they yanked it away.

“You don’t deserve Adrien, so do us all a favor and break up with him already,” one girl said.

“What’s going on out here?” Marinette’s father pulled open the door and placed his hands on his hips.

“These girls took my necklace,” Marinette said, pointing to the second girl who stuck her tongue out.

“Now, ladies, taking things that don’t belong to you isn’t very-”

“You’ll never deserve Adrien, you tramp!” The third girl screamed, shoving Marinette into the window.

“Hey! Get your hands off my daughter,” Tom said, stepping between them, and while his back was turned, the second girl knocked over the macaron display right inside the door, scattering tiny cookies across the bakery floor. “Hey!”

Marinette managed to throw off her aggressor, but with her father’s attention torn, neither one saw the ringleader with the scissors until it was too late. She heard the snip in her ear as black hair fell to her feet, and her hand flew up to the pigtail, now a prickly nub. The leader smirked, waving the black strands in her hands.

“There’s no way Adrien stays with you now, ugly girl,” she sneered before the three ran off with Tom in pursuit.

Sabine rushed out as Marinette sank to her knees, pawing at her hair. Hot tears trailed down her cheeks, and her mother pulled her in tight, whispering reassurances. She’d faced some backlash from dating Adrien during all of this, but not like this. Never like this.

“They got away on the subway,” Tom said when he came back, leaning against the door frame and panting. “Sweetie, are you okay?”

Marinette stared down at the broken chain among her hair on the ground, the shock wearing off, and she shook her head.

“Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up,” Sabine said, helping her to her feet. “It’s alright, sweetie. You’re alright.”

But she wasn’t. In that moment, Marinette was anything but alright, and her magical night with Adrien seemed lightyears away.

***

Adrien glanced at his phone again, pacing the length of the dining room for the dozenth time. Red roses lined the center of the table, flickering candles casting shadows on the walls. The house smelled of meats and rich chocolate, the kitchen clattering while the chefs worked just as they did every night, and Adrien’s stomach growled.

He glanced at the clock with a frown. Marinette was running late which wasn’t that unusual, but tonight of all nights, he really wanted her to hurry up. After fifteen minutes, he decided to give her a call. Maybe a playful bit of encouragement could get her there faster, but to his surprise, Alya answered.

“Hey, Adrien,” she said with a sigh.

“Alya?” His eyebrows knitted together. “Is Marinette with you?”

“Yeah…she’s here, and you might want to get over here too,” she said, and Adrien didn’t like her tone.

“Why? What’s wrong?” He stopped short.

“It’s…better if you come. Marinette’s really upset.”

His heart pounded the whole way, his leg bouncing while people crossed the street at a snail’s pace. As they approached the bakery, blue lights flashed in the windows, and Adrien leaned up to see a police car parked outside. Barley waiting for Gorilla to stop, he leapt from the car and raced to the front door where Mr. Dupain was talking to Officer Raincomprix. Mme. Cheng was sweeping broken glass and macarons, and when she saw him, her face fell.

“What’s going on? Where’s Marinette?” He asked, and she pulled him inside.

“There was a little incident. Some girls…Some girls didn’t think that you and Marinette were right for one another, and they made it known,” Sabine said, and Adrien glanced down at the pile she’d been sweeping. Broken glass, crushed macarons, and _hair._ “We had to cut a lot of it to get the sides even. Marinette is pretty shaken up. She’s upstairs in her room.”

Adrien’s stomach churned, and for a moment he thought he might be sick. But he put one foot in front of the other up the stairs. Nino was sitting on the chaise when Adrien climbed through the trap door, and he grimaced, nodding up to the loft where Alya sat rubbing a lump under the blankets. The soft sniffles grew louder as Adrien made his way up, and Alya glanced up with that same expression that Mme. Cheng had given him. They could try to mask it all they wanted, but Adrien recognized it for what it was: pity.

“She won’t come out. Mme. Cheng had to cut her hair pretty short,” Alya said, and the blob under the blanket wailed louder.

“Yeah, apparently some crazy fans of yours demanded that she break up with you then cut one of her pigtails off so that you’d dump her,” Nino explained with a wince. “Mega harsh, dude. I don’t envy you.”

Adrien cupped a hand over his mouth, and Alya reached out to him.

“It’s not your fault, Adrien. Don’t blame yourself,” she assured him, and he flicked his gaze to the lump she was comforting.

He crawled over to rub what he presumed was her back, but she recoiled at his touch, burrowing deeper beneath the sheets. His heart sank, and he bit his lip to hold back tears. Everything was ruined now. Marinette would never love the boy who dragged her into all of this. All he’d ever done was cause her problems, and he’d been a fool to think she could ever love him.

“I’m really sorry, Marinette. I understand if you want me to leave,” he murmured, shifting to crawl off the bed, but before he could move, a hand reached out to grab his wrist.

Her fingers shook, but she gripped tightly, silently pleading for him to stay. He eased back down, lowering his lips to her hand and lacing their fingers together. After a moment, she shifted and sat up, covering her head with the blanket but peeking her face out. Her eyes were red and puffy, bearing a look of defeat that would haunt Adrien for weeks.

No matter what anyone else said, he was the one that did this to her. Maybe not directly, but if he hadn’t lied to Nathalie then they wouldn’t be in this position in the first place. If he had just sucked it up and told the truth, then Marinette wouldn’t have gotten hurt.

“Can we see your hair cut?” Alya asked, brushing Marinette’s cheek with the back of her finger, but Marinette buried her face in her knees.

“No!” She cried, and Alya sat back.

“Your mom said it was actually kinda cute,” Nino offered, but when that seemed to make it worse, Alya shot him a glare.

“I look like my grandma,” she blubbered, and Alya moved beside her with a smile.

“But your grandma is cool,” she said, rubbing her back. “Come on out. Please?”

A hoarse whine rumbled in her throat, and Adrien nestled into her other side, resting his head on hers. She was small, he realized, so tiny and broken, and it was all his fault.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured in her ear, and she peeked around the blanket at him.

“Stop saying that,” she said, running a hand across her face. “It’s not your fault.”

“Yeah, but…” He glanced over at Alya and Nino and bit his tongue. “I still feel bad.”

Marinette eyed him a moment before slowly removing the blanket and fussing with her dark hair, not much longer than Rose’s now. She twirled a few short strands around her fingers with a frown while Alya studied her.

“It’s not bad. You do look cute,” she said, and Marinette shot her a look as if she didn’t believe her.

“You’re always beautiful to me,” Adrien said, cupping her face in his hands. “No matter what.”

She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes, breathing him in. After a moment, she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. He held her close, and as he trailed his fingers through her hair, his chest tightened. He hated being so helpless and wished more than anything that he could turn back the clock. That he could be there to stop it. That he never asked her to do this in the first place. This was all his fault.

Maybe this was karma for lying to everyone. The universe was punishing him for being dishonest instead of just telling Nathalie the truth. Just like his Miraculous, he only brought destruction and misfortune everywhere he went, and perhaps it would be better for everyone if he kept his distance. At least then no one could get hurt because of him.

“Tell you what, you and I can go shopping for some cute hats this weekend. We can get all kinds of cute hair accessories too,” Alya said, rubbing Marinette’s back, and the girl in his arms gave a weak nod. “It’s gonna be okay, M. You guys have dealt with crazy fans before. You’ll make it through this time.”

“I’m gonna say something. I can’t sit by if people think this is okay,” Adrien said, shaking his head. “Anyone who would do this isn’t a fan of mine, and I won’t let them get away with it. I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“Yeah, because this has moved way past mean comments online,” Nino said with a grunt, and at Adrien’s wince added, “but I’m sure if you clear things up, people will chill.”

“Just tell everyone the truth, and I’m sure they’ll back off,” Alya said with a nod, and Adrien and Marinette both stiffened.

Unbeknownst to Alya and Nino, the truth was a luxury neither of them could afford. Theirs was a secret that, if leaked, would only make things worse, and no matter if he told it or not, Marinette would always be at risk if she was associated with him. Real or fake, he wasn’t safe for her.

Nino’s phone pinged, and he held it up to Alya with a wince. “We’ve gotta go pick up Chris and your sisters.”

“Yeah, Nora has a training session tonight, so we have to go relieve her, but I’ll come over tomorrow, okay?” Alya said, giving Marinette’s hand a squeeze.

Adrien felt his own phone buzz in his pocket, but it barely registered. Nathalie was probably wondering where he was, and if he didn’t leave soon, his father would get antsy. Marinette seemed to recognize what it meant, and Adrien realized that even if their relationship was fake, the connection they’d formed over the past few months wasn’t.

Marinette knew him better than anyone. She knew his schedule, his nightly routines, what foods he didn’t like, which alarms meant it was time to go and which ones didn’t. It shouldn’t have surprised him when she sat up and nudged him forward with a small smile that glowed faintly with that gentle affection he especially didn’t deserve after this.

“I’ll be fine,” she said, and he wasn’t sure if that was for his benefit or her own. Both, he deduced. “Come on. I’ll walk you out.”

They were quiet on the walk down, even the clamor of their footsteps seemed muted. It might have been the hurt lingering in the air, or maybe neither one knew what to say. But Adrien was already piecing his thoughts together, and he knew that this charade had gone on long enough. That the costs had far outnumbered the benefits, and their relationship was far more trouble than it was worth. Even if he asked her to be his real girlfriend, trouble would always follow them, and he couldn’t put Marinette through that.

“Guess our dinner date got ruined,” she said finally once they reached the bottom of the stairs, and when Adrien stepped through the door, she leaned against the threshold. “Maybe we can try again tomorrow.”

Adrien lowered his gaze to his shoes, kicking at the pavement with pursed lips.

“Marinette…I don’t want to do this anymore,” he said, flicking his gaze up to hers briefly before looking away again. “I’m tired of lying to everyone and pretending that this is real when it isn’t. I never wanted any of this to happen, and I never would have asked you to do this if I’d known you’d get hurt.”

“Adrien-”

“I can’t do this, Marinette,” he said, taking her hands in his, desperate green eyes baring into hers. “You’re too important to me, and I don’t want you getting hurt because of me anymore. I’m so sorry I ever dragged you into this.”

“Adrien, I made my choice. We can still do this,” she pleaded, but he was already shaking his head. “I don’t want to break up. Please.”

“Don’t think of it like breaking up. This was never even real.” He shrugged. “I have to draw the line somewhere, Marinette, and I’m drawing it right here. You got hurt, and that’s game over. I’m done.” He reached out to cup her cheek. “For what it’s worth, I’ve really liked being your boyfriend, even if it was all pretend, and I’m glad that you and I have gotten so close. I just hope that when things settle down that we can still be friends.”

“Of course,” she said, leaning into his touch as a single tear sliced down her cheek. “We’ll always be friends.”

“I won’t tell everyone that this was fake. I don’t want everyone to think you pressured me into this or something crazy. I just want you safe,” he said, and she nodded, pressing her lips together and wiping her eyes.

“I liked it too,” she said, clasping her hands together. “Being your girlfriend, I really liked it. Spending so much time with you…made me really happy.”

He pulled her in for a tight hug, breathing in her scent one last time. What he wouldn’t have given to freeze that moment and live in it forever, but they’d run out of time. Marinette had never really been his, and she never would be. How could she ever love the boy who ruined her life?

“We’ll probably have to avoid each other for a while until the breakup fizzles out, but after that, I want to keep spending time together. All of this has shown me what a good friend you are, and I want us to stay that way,” he said, pulling away. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, Marinette. If anyone isn’t deserving here, it’s me.”

He stooped down and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek, lingering close for just a moment longer.

“Good night, Marinette.”

\- - -

_Hey guys, I know I usually keep these Instagram posts upbeat, but something happened that I need to talk about. For the past 3 months, I’ve been dating a good friend of mine, and tonight some people decided that they knew what was best for me, so I want to be abundantly clear: Marinette is a very dear friend of mine, and all of the rumors going around about her are false. She is a wonderful and genuine person, and someone I’ve deeply admired ever since we met. She didn’t deserve what happened to her, and it breaks my heart to see someone I care about get hurt. That is why I have chosen to end our relationship tonight because I can’t stand to see her get hurt anymore. Please be respectful and kind to her. She is one of my best friends and doesn’t deserve all the hate. I have all the love in the world for her, and I hope that she will forgive me for what I’ve done. -A_

Marinette hugged her knees to her chest and sighed, letting her phone fall onto her bed. Friday certainly had changed everything, but not in the way she was hoping. She’d known for a long time that their relationship wasn’t sustainable, but the hopeful part of her had wished for a happily ever after with her prince. She should have known better. Adrien was just as far away as he always was, and she was no closer to a fairytale ending now than she was 3 months ago.

She didn’t blame him. He was only doing what he thought was best. It wasn’t his fault that she was really in love with him, and in a way, it was really sweet of him to protect her. Despite everything, she couldn’t bring herself to be mad at him even if she should be. She’d suffer through a world of demons for the sake of an angel.

When her phone rang, she glanced down at the caller ID – Alya – and lifted it to her ear. It was only a matter of time before everyone called with their condolences. After all, their relationship was real to everyone else, and Marinette had to remind herself that they weren’t done pretending.

“Hey,” she said, voice devoid of emotion. “I take it you saw Adrien’s post.”

“Yeah, and that’s not the only thing I saw,” Alya said, and Marinette traced the caution in her voice. “Someone recorded your convo with Adrien outside and uploaded it. Why didn’t you tell me your relationship was fake?”

“_What?_”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen, I promise the kids get a happy ending, but I have to hurt them a little bit. Just a little. You'll see. It'll all work out. I have plans.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listening to In the Rain is mandatory for this chapter. I make the rules.

Chapter 10

Marinette surged forward, heart jumping up to her throat. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be.

“What?” She repeated, hoping that she’d simply misheard Alya even if her gut told her she hadn’t.

“There’s a video online. It’s Adrien saying he doesn’t want to fake your relationship anymore,” Alya said, and Marinette scrambled to her computer.

Her hands shook over the keys, breath hitching when she clicked the video, and Marinette watched the scene replay with a grimace. Somehow seeing it from an outside perspective cut deeper, and for a moment, she thought she might be sick.

“_I don’t want to do this anymore. I’m tired of lying to everyone and pretending that this is real when it isn’t. I never wanted any of this,_” Adrien said, and she watched the shock and horror flash on her own face. “_I can’t do this, Marinette_.”

“_We can still do this,_” she said. “_I don’t want to break up. Please._”

“_This was never even real. I have to draw the line somewhere, Marinette, and I’m drawing it right here. Game over. I’m done_,” he said, and Marinette bit her lip hard. “_You pressured me into this._”

This wasn’t what happened. Adrien hadn’t meant it that way. The video was fabricated. Cut. A _lie_. Her stomach dropped. First, she was horrified, but horror soon surrendered to anger. This had one person’s name written all over it, and Marinette didn’t have to think twice about who that was: _Lila_.

“M? Are you alright?” Alya said, and Marinette pressed the phone back to her ear.

“Okay, yes, Adrien and I faked our relationship, but it was for a good reason,” Marinette said with a sigh. “And I didn’t pressure him into it, he was the one who asked me.”

“Whoa, whoa, Adrien asked you to be his _fake_ girlfriend, and you said yes?” Alya asked, and Marinette could almost hear her eyebrows raising in her typical, ‘_girl, are you crazy?’_ expression she often gave Marinette when it came to dealing with Adrien. “Marinette, how could you do that to yourself? That’s it. I’m coming over. We need ice cream and pedicures, and you’re gonna tell me everything.”

“What about your sisters?” Marinette asked.

“Nino is gonna watch them until my parents get home in an hour. I’ll be over soon, okay?” Alya said like the best friend in the world she was, and Marinette’s eyes teared up again.

“Thanks, Alya,” her voice rose an octave.

It was going to be a long night, but the truth was finally going to set her free.

***

“What were you thinking, Adrien?” Gabriel paced the length of his office.

Adrien sat in one of the chairs staring out the window completely desolate, and too numb and angry to really register. The evening hadn’t gone according to plan at all, and now that the truth was out there, he didn’t know what to do to fix it. If Marinette didn’t hate him before, she was bound to hate him now.

“How could you embarrass me like this?” Gabriel continued, and Adrien shifted his gaze to his lap.

“I’m sorry, Father, but you weren’t listening to me about Lila. If I’d dated her…I couldn’t have dated her,” Adrien said, shaking his head. “I never meant for any of this to happen. Marinette and I were just supposed to break up. No one was ever supposed to find out, I swear!”

“Our poor judgment on Miss Rossi’s part aside, you should have told Nathalie your relationship was fake. We could have taken measures to ensure that this type of thing didn’t happen,” Gabriel said, and Adrien leaned back in the chair with a sigh.

“I’m sorry, Father. It won’t happen again. Believe me, Marinette won’t want anything to do with me after this,” Adrien said, leaning against his fist.

“The phone hasn’t stopped ringing since that video went live. Everyone wants to know the full story,” Nathalie said, deleting yet another voicemail from a magazine asking for an interview. “We need you to appear on Side-by-Side tomorrow to do some damage control. You’ll tell everyone that your relationship was a planned publicity stunt, and you can even say that Marinette is innocent to clear her name.”

“Yes, Nathalie,” Adrien sighed, and at his father’s dismissive nod, he stood and stalked from the room. He already had the number dialed by the time he made it to the top of the stairs, and she answered on the second ring.

“I know it was you,” he growled, letting his door shut behind him. “You doctored that video so that everyone would hate Marinette.”

“Oh, Adrien, I’m flattered,” Lila cooed, but he was done playing games.

“Don’t get coy with me. I’ll bet you had something to do with those girls that attacked her tonight too,” he said, hands balling into tight fists.

“I didn’t tell them to attack her. I’ve just been feeding them little exaggerated truths for several weeks and letting them come to their own conclusions,” she said with a laugh that made Adrien’s blood boil. “The haircut was a nice touch. It really pushed you over the edge.”

“You set us up.”

“I warned you, Adrien. I said you’d be the one to destroy your relationship. All I had to do was wait,” she said with a singsong lilt. “But don’t worry. I’m willing to help you, for a price.”

“What do you want?” He asked, voice full of venom.

“I want you to get me back in the good graces of your father. I want you to admit in an interview that I was the one you were supposed to date and that your father and his assistant cheated me out of that chance, and I want a photoshoot. Front page, full spread,” she demanded, and Adrien sank into his computer chair.

“And what do we get out of this?” He asked. “How are you going to fix everything?”

“I have the full video. If you do those things for me, I’ll release it and then everyone can see that it wasn’t really Marinette’s fault,” Lila said, pausing before adding, “it was yours.”

Adrien tapped his fingers on his desk, pursing his lips. “How do I know you’ll do it?”

“Because we’re _friends_, aren’t we?” Adrien shuddered at the word. “I’ll give you until the end of tomorrow to make up your mind, but I think we can both agree that Marinette has suffered enough.”

“Fine. I’ll do it, but you better hold up your end of the deal,” Adrien said.

“Oh, don’t worry. I just need to make sure you’ll give me what I want. I’m not a sore winner, though, if I’m being honest, playing you two has been the most fun I’ve had in a while,” she said with a laugh. “I’m always open for a challenge.”

Adrien hung up and tossed his phone on the desk, face falling into his hands. Plagg floated up from his shirt, tiny arms crossed and ears flat.

“That girl is seriously evil,” he said, and Adrien glared down at her name in his contacts.

“Yeah,” he said. “She is.”

***

“Okay, time out, so Adrien didn’t want to fake date Lila, so instead, he decided to fake date you?” Alya cocked her head to the side. “Why would it matter which one of you he was fake dating?”

“Because, Alya, Lila isn’t who she says she is, and Adrien knows that. He’s the only other person besides me who knows what she’s really like,” Marinette said with a sigh. “Look, I know I’ve never exactly been able to prove it, but Lila _is_ a liar. She made up all that stuff about me to get me expelled because she didn’t want me to expose her, and Adrien’s the one who made her lie to let me back in school.”

“But Adrien hates lying,” Alya said, and Marinette threw her head back with a groan. “Okay, okay, I know. It just all sounds so crazy. You get that, right?”

“Of course, I do, but I’m not making this up, Alya. Please, you have to believe me. I’m your best friend, and I wouldn’t lie about something like this,” Marinette said, holding up her pinky. Alya studied her, and after a moment, she sighed and locked their pinkies together.

“Okay, I’m with you, and given that Adrien did say your relationship was fake, I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt about Lila,” Alya said then shook her head. “What I don’t get is why you would agree to be Adrien’s fake girlfriend? That must have eaten you up inside hearing him say all of those things to you knowing that it wasn’t real.”

“Well, Adrien needed me, and the alternative was him dating Lila which wasn’t an option either of us could afford,” Marinette said, shifting her gaze down to her hands. “And even after everything that’s happened, I’d do it all over again if he asked.”

“M,” Alya said, pulling her in for a hug.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to tell him how I feel now,” Marinette said, and Alya pushed away with a frown.

“Why not? I mean, you two could date for real,” Alya said, but Marinette averted her gaze.

“Well, it’s just that…I thought toward the end that Adrien was starting to see me differently, but then this happened.” She gestured to her pixie cut and sighed. “I don’t think Adrien wants to be with me again after everything, and it might only do more harm than good if I told him.”

“But you’ve tried so hard, and you’ve had his back all this time. You never ask for anything for yourself, girl.” Alya placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay for you to be happy too, ya know.”

Marinette searched her warm expression before falling back against her shoulder. Alya held her close as she cried for the dozenth time that evening, but her words didn’t matter. She would never get her happy ending. Not with Adrien.

***

“Did you memorize your cards?” Nathalie asked the following evening, picking lint from his jacket while someone powdered his cheeks.

“Yes, Nathalie,” Adrien said with a nod, lowering his head when she walked away.

He wasn’t one to get nervous seeing as he’d done interviews countless times before, but this time his stomach churned, head spinning as he scrambled to find a story that fit. He hadn’t told Nathalie and his father about Lila’s demands – they’d never approve them if they knew, but this wasn’t about his father’s company or even himself. It was about Marinette. He needed her to be safe and free from all of this mess even if it meant he took the fall, and after everything he’d put her through, he deserved every bit of it.

“Are you really going to go through with this? I mean, you’re giving that horrible girl exactly what she wants,” Plagg hissed from Adrien’s collar.

“This is the only way to help Marinette. Lila won this round. There’s nothing I can do,” Adrien said, glancing over at the couch he and Nadja would share in just a few minutes.

“And if you do this for her then you’re just playing right into her game. Do you really think she’s going to stop tormenting Marinette after this? She’s just going to keep using you to get what she wants,” Plagg shot back, and Adrien ran a hand through his hair with a sigh.

“What else am I supposed to do?” He shrugged in defeat. “We can’t beat her. She’s too good at lying.”

“So why don’t you stop lying? Take her down for good?” Plagg asked, and Adrien held up the note cards Nathalie had written for him to memorize.

Plagg was right. If he gave into Lila now, then none of it would ever end. She would find new ways to get back at him and Marinette until she clawed her way up high enough to damage them for good. Lila making it this far was his fault. If he’d let Marinette expose her from the beginning, none of this would have happened. This was his mess, and he needed to be the one to fix it.

“Adrien, you’re on in five,” the producer said as she passed, and Adrien trailed his thumb over the tiny box in his pocket.

It was time for Lila Rossi’s reign to end, and he would make sure she never lied to anyone again.

***

“We don’t have to watch, you know,” Alya said as Marinette sat beside her on the couch. Thunder cracked outside, the windows rattling against the wind, and Marinette stared ahead, hugging her knees to her chest.

“We could just go to the cafe next door and get some coffee, or we could go downstairs and ask your dad to show us how to make shapes in the pie dough,” Alya suggested, but Marinette barely heard.

“I’ll be fine,” she insisted, and Alya looked her up and down with pursed lips. “I trust him.”

“Alright, but if it’s too hard for you, we’ll turn it off, okay?” Alya said, placing her hand over Marinette’s and giving it a squeeze. “I’m gonna go grab a drink before it starts.”

Marinette sat back on the couch with a sigh, rubbing her palms on her jeans. Adrien was going to set the record straight then everyone would know that she wasn’t the villain here, so why did her heart still feel so heavy?

Maybe it was because of the abrupt way things had ended between them, or that Lila had been ready to leak it to the whole world. Maybe it was because the foolish part of her thought that she and Adrien would get to ride off into the sunset together at the end of all this. Maybe she just didn’t want to hear the love of her life stand up in front of the whole city and claim that everything was all a lie. That he’d never loved her, and it was all just pretend. Maybe she just wished she could have told him her feelings before everything fell apart.

She glanced over at her gift and shook her head. It didn’t matter what he said in the next few minutes. The truth was bound to come out eventually, and she’d known that. Neither one of them was as good at weaving webs as Lila, and they’d been fools to think they could get away with it forever. She’d been a fool to think that pretending to be his girlfriend would change anything.

“Here,” Alya said, dropping her sketchbook on the couch beside her. “Maybe you can distract yourself by designing.”

“Thanks, Alya,” Marinette said, flipping through the thick pages. She turned to the next blank page to find it filled with neat script signed by the one name that made her heart flutter.

_Dear Marinette,_

_You’ve got some really amazing designs in here. No wonder my father was so impressed. I hope you don’t mind that I peeked! Listen, I know things have been weird lately since we started all of this, and we have to be careful talking about it, but I just wanted to let you know that you mean the world to me. This whole mess with Lila is so complicated, and it’s nice to know that I have someone I can lean on. When this is all over, I owe you like a million favors, but if I’m being honest…I kind of hope we have to keep this up for a while. _

_Being with you is fun, and it’s made me feel really special. Every day I wake up, and I can’t wait to see you and talk to you. For a long time I didn’t know how to approach you because all of this stuff is still new to me, so even though we have to keep sneaking around and lying, I’m actually glad that we did this because it’s allowed me to get closer to you. I don’t know how to describe it, but lately, when we’re together, I feel like nothing else matters. Sometimes when I look at you, it’s like there’s only you and me. You’re really amazing, and I hope we’ll be friends for a long time. Thank you for everything. _

_Adrien_

Outside the storm raged, droplets hitting the roof as Marinette read his words. She’d forgotten that Adrien had written her a note when she lost her sketchbook at his house. Tears bubbled in her eyes as she read it over and over until one dripped down onto the page, and she jumped when Nadja’s theme music boomed from the TV.

“Don’t be bemused, it’s just the news! I’m Nadja Chamack, and this is Side-by-Side! Tonight’s guest is a hot topic right now - famous teen fashion model and target of recent romantic controversy Adrien Agreste!” Nadja started with her usual enthusiasm, and Marinette’s gaze snapped up to the screen as the camera moved over to him, heart jolting.

“Thanks for having me, Nadja,” Adrien said with his trademark dreamy smile.

“You are quite the controversial young man right now, Adrien,” Nadja said with a knowing smile. “Fake romances, crazy fans, and everyone in Paris is wondering what’s the real story?”

“Well, Nadja, that’s why I’m here because the people of Paris deserve the truth…My friend Marinette deserves the truth.” He looked into the camera, and Marinette’s heart skipped as those green eyes seemed to stare straight at her. “A lot of you saw a video online of a conversation I had with Marinette, and in it, I said a lot of things, most shockingly to everyone, that our relationship wasn’t real. That it was fake, and I want to be honest with all of you.”

He paused for a moment, flicking his gaze to his lap and biting his lip before continuing.

“3 months ago, I did a photoshoot with a girl in my class, Lila Rossi, and my father and his assistant thought that she and I would make a cute couple to rake in more attention to our brand, but the only problem with that was that Lila and I don’t get along very well. In fact, Lila has a nasty habit where just about everything out of her mouth is a lie.” Marinette’s hands shot up to her mouth, and Alya’s draw dropped beside her.

“And this is the part where I really messed up because I didn’t know how to tell them that I didn’t want to date Lila because she was just using us to get fame and glory, so I told them that I couldn’t date her because I was already dating someone else,” Adrien said as everyone in Paris hung onto every word.

“Your friend Marinette,” Nadja said, and Adrien nodded.

“Now, Marinette is the only other person at the school who knows that Lila is a liar, and shortly before all of this, Lila had actually schemed to get Marinette kicked out of school for it, and when I came to Marinette and told her what a terrible friend I was and _begged_ her to help me, she agreed.” Adrien shook his head with a shrug and continued.

“So, she and I started dating to cover up _my_ mistake, and Marinette is such an amazing friend that even though it only ever caused her grief, and Lila constantly attacked her – falling in the fountain at our photoshoot? Lila. Crazy ‘fan’ ripped her dress at the gala? Lila. Attacked by rabid fangirls? Lila’s doing. And now this video that exposes all of our secrets from the past three months was shared by, you guessed it, Lila.

When I came here tonight, I was met with a choice. My father wanted me to tell you all that Marinette and I’s relationship was just a planned publicity stunt, but that’s another lie. Lila wanted me to stand up and tell everyone that my father wronged her by allowing me to date Marinette instead of her in exchange for her releasing the full video of my conversation with Marinette, but then I started thinking, and I realized that if I did that, I’d only be continuing to play her game, and truthfully, I’m tired of lying and protecting people who only ever think of themselves,” Adrien said, looking back into the camera with a shrug. “So, Lila, I’m done.”

“Oh my god,” Alya said as they both blinked at the screen.

“Wow, this situation certainly is messier than we all thought,” Nadja said, adjusting her blazer. “We’ll be right back with more on this story after the break.”

Marinette jumped up from the couch and made her way for the door.

“Where are you going?” Alya asked as Marinette grabbed her gift and slipped on her shoes.

“I have to get to the TV station,” she said, and Alya jumped up after her.

“Have you lost your mind? It’s a monsoon out there!” Thunder clapped as if to prove her point.

“I need to see him,” Marinette said, taking Alya’s hands in hers. “Don’t you get it, Alya? He did all of this for me.”

Alya searched her expression with pursed lips then smiled and gave her hands a gentle squeeze.

“Good luck, girl.”

Cold rain splashed her face as she dashed up the street, and she clutched her present to her chest. It was all for her. Breaking up, exposing Lila. Adrien had done it all for her. He wanted her safe even if Paris hated him for it. Marinette wasn’t the only one willing to sacrifice her happiness for someone she loved.

“We’re back with Adrien Agreste and his incredible romantic journey. Tells us, what was it that prompted you to end things with Marinette that we saw in the now infamous video.” Nadja’s voice echoed over the rain between buildings, but Marinette didn’t slow down.

“Well, Nadja, a lot changed over the 3 months Marinette and I were together. She and I had always been friends, but we had an opportunity to grow closer, and Marinette is just really so amazing for putting up with everything that we went through,” Adrien replied. “But the breaking point for me was when she got attacked yesterday by some people that Lila riled up against her. I couldn’t stand seeing that happen to her because of me, and I know everyone keeps saying that it wasn’t my fault, but the fact of the matter is, if I’d just been honest from the beginning, none of that would have ever happened to her.”

“So, you broke things off because you didn’t want Marinette to get hurt anymore?” Nadja said.

“Well, how would you feel if something like that happened to someone you- to someone you care about. Marinette has been there for me a lot since I met her, and I took advantage of her kindness for way too long. I had to end things,” he said. “Marinette is important to me, and if she’s listening right now, I want her to know that I’m genuinely, deeply sorry for all of the trouble I’ve caused.”

“Thank you for coming out tonight, Adrien. This has been Side-by-Side. I’m Nadja Chamack, signing off.”

Time was running out. Her lungs hurt, and her clothes, now drenched, clung to her. But she couldn’t stop now. For too long she’d been running away from Adrien and hiding her true feelings. It was about time she started running toward him.

There was a crowd outside the front of the TV station, but Marinette remembered the way to the back entrance from numerous times dropping Manon off. If she had to guess, Adrien’s bodyguard would take him to the least crowded exit, or so she hoped.

The alley was empty when she rounded the corner. Rain dripped from the gutters into puddles that swallowed her shoes, but she kept walking until she saw the silver town car. The back door opened, and Gorilla stepped out with an umbrella, ushering a mop of blond hair to the car before he got wet.

For a moment she couldn’t breathe. Air refused to leave her lungs, but as Gorilla reached for the door handle, she mustered up every ounce of her strength.

“Adrien!”

She feared that he hadn’t heard her over the pattering rain, but as her voice registered, he froze with his hand on the hood. He turned to face her, studying her as if he expected her to be a mirage, but when she stepped toward him, he pushed away from Gorilla and out into the rain.

“Marinette!” His voice wavered, his steps slow and uncertain at first, but when the shock wore off, he sprinted into her arms.

Adrien crushed her to his chest, nuzzling into her neck and squeezing so tight, she swore her spine would snap. But she didn’t care. She clung to him just as desperately, trailing her fingers through his hair as his shoulders shook.

“I’m so sorry, Marinette. For everything. You have every right to hate me, and I’m so sorry,” he said, and Marinette knew he wasn’t shivering from the cold. She rested her chin on his shoulder, glancing up at the dismal sky.

“It rained the day we met. Do you remember?” She murmured, and he blinked when she pushed away, flicking his gaze down to the black umbrella in her arms as she pressed it against him.

“Marinette, you’re drenched,” he said, fumbling to open it and shield them from the storm, not that it mattered now. “We should get you out of the rain before you catch a cold.”

He took her hand and tugged, but her feet remained rooted where they were. She wasn’t going to let another opportunity slip by. The time for hiding and running away had passed.

“After school, it started to rain, and you gave me your umbrella,” she continued, and when Adrien glanced up, she knew what he would see: rain drops and intricate swirls sewn into the fabric bordering a simple phrase that she’d been carrying all this time. Three short words she’d never had the strength to say out loud until this moment.

“It was raining when we met, and that was the day that I fell in love with you,” she whispered, placing her hand over his on the handle. “I love you, Adrien.”

He blinked again, searching her face, but then his lips were on hers. His free hand found her hair, fingers lacing into short, dark strands and pulling her closer. Tears burned hot on her cold cheeks, but she didn’t feel the chill. A few hours ago she never thought Adrien would kiss her again, but there they stood with hearts and lips entwined, clinging so tightly to feelings left unspoken for far too long.

Adrien stayed close when they pulled away, pressing his forehead to hers. She squeezed his hand, their fingers pressing on the switch at the base of the umbrella, and as it collapsed inward, she looked into his eyes, glinting with the same amusement she’d fallen for all those months ago. Thunder clapped as the alley echoed with their laughter. Lila’s lies couldn’t hurt them anymore. They were free.

“All this time?” Adrien finally asked, brushing her cheek with his thumb, and she pursed her lips.

“I tried to tell you several times, but nothing ever worked out. I was afraid that…I couldn’t bear the thought of being rejected and having to give up these feelings,” she said, lowering her gaze, and Adrien pressed a soft kiss to her nose.

“I’m sorry I never realized, and…you did all of this even though you knew it wasn’t real.” He shook his head. “Marinette, I should have realized it sooner.”

“Adrien, don’t, okay?” She brushed his hair aside and cupped his cheek. “Don’t blame yourself because I was afraid.”

“Not that,” he said, and she fixed her gaze on the small heart-shaped box he pulled from his pocket.

Golden vines adorned the sides, intricately swirling together into a flowering rose in the center, and Adrien wound the key on the back, opening the clasp as a soft melody began to play. She recognized the notes, picturing the night Adrien had played them for her the first time. The song he’d composed especially for her that encompassed all of his feelings. _Her_ melody.

Her hands shook as she took the box in her hands, her fingers trailing over the words etched into the inside of the lid, and she cupped her face as tears bubbled over once more.

“I should have realized sooner, and I should have told you every day from the moment I did,” he said, and her eyes traced over those three words.

_I love you._

“You exposed Lila,” she said, glancing back up at him.

“It was time for her to stop hurting you. To stop hurting _us_. I couldn’t stand by and do nothing anymore, and I’m sorry I didn’t act sooner,” Adrien said, averting his gaze. “I shouldn’t have stopped you all those months ago.”

“Well, if you had let me then we’d never have gotten to spend so much time together. I’d still be plotting hopeless schemes to confess to you, and we wouldn’t be where we are now,” she said, turning his chin to face her.

“You’re right.” He smiled, leaning into her touch. “I know I don’t deserve it after everything, but with Lila gone, I think that things would be quieter for us if you wanted to…I mean, if you don’t that’s fine, I understand, but when I invited you to dinner it was because I was thinking that maybe we could-”

She cut him off with a kiss, and then he was the one blushing.

“Yes,” she breathed against his lips.

“For real this time?” He quirked a brow, and she nodded.

“For real this time.”

***

“So, let me get this straight,” Nino said, cocking his head to the side. “You two fake dated so that Adrien didn’t have to fake date Lila because she’s a liar, and she spent three months trying to get back at you two during which time Adrien fell in love and now that Lila is exposed, you two are dating for real?”

Adrien and Marinette exchanged smirks, his fingers moving over the keys of his piano. Sunlight trickled in from the large windows, chasing out any remaining shadows with its warm glow, and Marinette leaned against his shoulder.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Adrien said, and Nino shook his head, draping an arm over Alya’s shoulders.

“You sure know how to party, dude,” he chuckled. “Who would have thought Lila was really so nasty.”

“Uh, me,” Marinette said pointedly, and her friends conceded her point.

“I’ve never seen so many angry people in one room before. That girl is gonna have to transfer,” Alya said, crossing her arms over her chest and cocking a hip.

“Well, thanks to Adrien, no matter where she goes, no one is going to believe her stories.” Nino tipped his hat in respect.

“Sounds like she’s just gonna have to learn to tell the truth,” Marinette said with a shrug.

“How unfortunate for her,” Adrien said, and they all laughed.

Everything was right in the world again. Lila’s power was gone. Her friends finally knew the truth, and Marinette finally had her prince for real. No more lies. No more hiding. Just the two of them together with their friends. As it should be.

Alya rested her elbows on the piano, closing her eyes while Adrien continued to play.

“This is a really pretty song, Adrien. What’s it called?” She asked.

“Yeah, what did you name it?” Marinette rested her chin on his shoulder, and he flicked his gaze to her with a soft smile, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“In the Rain,” he said, and her cheeks warmed when he touched his nose to hers.

“Dude, you need to work on your names for stuff,” Nino said with a laugh, but Marinette simply shook her head and smiled.

“I think it’s perfect,” she said, and Nino gave her an incredulous look.

“For real?” He grunted, and Marinette glanced over at the umbrella hanging on the wall beside their picture thinking about the music box resting on the shelf above her bed.

“Yeah. For real.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all she wrote. I've had some semblance of that confession scene in my head for months, and it makes me really emotional. If In the Rain doesn't play post reveal when they're happy and in love then I will flip one whole table.  
Hope you all enjoyed the conclusion to this ride! I hope that it was the ending you'd all hoped for. I am off to write some Ladrien kiss scenes for Ladrien June then in July I think I'm going to pick up KEWK again, but we will see what the rest of the month brings.


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